Obtaining accurate precipitation data in mountainous regions is important but challenging. In ungauged areas, remotely sensed precipitation products are useful supplements and alternatives to measured precipitation products. However, their ability to detect solid precipitation and light precipitation in mountain areas is still unclear. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate two satellite precipitation products, Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) and Tropical Precipitation Measuring Mission (TRMM), in the headwaters of an inland river on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau (the Heihe river basin), with a specific focus on their performance regarding light precipitation and solid precipitation. The achieved results reveal that both GPM and TRMM perform poorly over the Heihe river basin, with low Correlation Coefficient value and Critical Success Index value, particularly in winter. Based on the coupled Time-Variant Gain Model-Degree Day Factor Model (TVGM-DDF) initiated in this paper, the GPM is more applicable in terms of running hydrological models. With the aim of detecting solid precipitation, the GPM is more capable of detecting solid precipitation but still unsatisfactory at two stations. In the case of light precipitation, both products underestimate light precipitation. In general, the performance of the two products in the Heihe river basin is not satisfactory and should be enhanced in upcoming explorations. This study provides a strong foundation for choosing alternate precipitation data for related research in the mountain basin.
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