Reliability of modern satellite precipitation products in a data‐scarce West African country: A comprehensive validation for Benin

Abstract Accurate and reliable precipitation data are critical for hydrological planning, disaster risk reduction, and climate adaptation in West Africa, where livelihoods are closely tied to seasonal rainfall. However, limited ground‐based observations constrain monitoring, early warning, and decision making. This study presents the first long‐term (2005–2020), station‐based evaluation of satellite rainfall products, including Tropical Applications of Meteorology using SATellite data and ground‐based observations, version 3.1 (TAMSAT v3.1), Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data, version 2 (CHIRPSv2), CHIRPS version 3 blended with the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts Reanalysis v5 (CHIRPSv3‐ERA5), and CHIRPS version 3 blended with Integrated Multi‐satellitE Retrievals for the Global Precipitation Measurement mission (CHIRPSv3‐IMERG) in Benin, using data from 49 meteorological stations across three climatic zones. Validation was carried out on dekadal, monthly, and seasonal timescales, with additional focus on the detection of rainy days, heavy rainfall events, and extreme months. CHIRPSv3 products and TAMSAT v3.1 performed best in the dry northern zone. TAMSAT v3.1 and CHIRPSv3‐IMERG achieved a better balance between detection skills and false alarms. However, rainfall extremes were generally underestimated. Overall, satellite precipitation products are valuable for climate services in data‐scarce regions. This study provides operationally relevant evidence to support the selection of rainfall datasets in Benin and similar West African contexts.