Based on the benchmark precipitation generated by high-density surface precipitation network data, the error characteristics of daily precipitation data of MSWEP(multi-source weighted-ensemble precipitation)in flood season from 1979 to 2016 were analyzed on the grid scale of 0. 1°×0. 1°, using the classification index, volume classification index and quantitative index. And the identification ability of MSWEP for various characteristic precipitation elements in Taihu Lake Basin were analyzed. The long series comparison between MSWEP and ground benchmark precipitation shows that MSWEP underestimates the daily precipitation to a certain extent, and the precipitation accuracy in hilly area and Taihu Lake area is relatively low. But there is a strong consistency between MSWEP and ground precipitation overall. MSWEP shows a describing ability for extreme precipitation in different periods, typhoon precipitation, plum precipitation and flood season precipitation of the Taihu Lake Basin. MSWEP can reflect not only the intensification of precipitation in the west of Taihu Lake Basin, especially in the hilly area of Western Zhejiang Province, but also the inhibition of precipitation in large water areas of Taihu Lake. Meanwhile, MSWEP also detected a high value area in the east of the plain where the annual maximum daily precipitation of Taihu Lake Basin is affected by urbanization.