Status: this preprint is open for discussion and under review for Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (HESS).
High resolution rainfall estimation from Commercial Microwave Links in the city of Niamey in Niger
Modeste Kacou,Marielle Gosset,and Iñigo Reizabal
Abstract. Commercial microwave links (CML) from cellular phone networks have become a source of opportunistic information on rainfall. In this study we use a dense network of 144 CMLs over the city of Niamey, in Niger, to estimate rainfall with a 15-minute resolution. The validation of these estimates with rain gauges shows that for links located within 2 km of a gauge the correlation of 15-minute time series is around 0.85, and the overall bias is low (0 to 10 % depending which link length and frequencies are considered). The CMLs are well suited to detect and quantify the intense rainfall rates associated with the mesoscale convective systems which bring most of the rain – and often floods – in the region. These good results are obtained with a simple and easily transferable processing chain. The study confirms the interest of CMLs in otherwise data scarce areas.
Received: 22 May 2026 – Discussion started: 20 Jul 2026
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Modeste Kacou
Laboratoire des Sciences de la Matière, de l’Environnement et de l’énergie Solaire, Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, 22 BP 582 Abidjan 22, Côte d’Ivoire
This paper illustrates that in regions that suffer from lack of meteorological information, the cellular phone network can provide rainfall measurement and mapping. This is illustrated in Niamey, the capital city of Niger using data provided by a telecom operator during 2017, a season marked by many intense rainfall. We analyse the microwave attenuation and transform it into rainfall maps, every 15 minutes, showing very high rainfall rates related to intense tropical convection.
This paper illustrates that in regions that suffer from lack of meteorological information, the...
