China's major arid regions

Northeast

Droughts in this region usually happen between April and August.

The probability of a spring drought is 66 percent, while the likelihood of a summer drought is 50 percent.

Yellow River, Huaihe River and Haihe River

China's largest drought is to be found in the alluvial plain of the Yellow, Huaihe and Haihe rivers.

Droughts usually occur between March and October, and some regions face successive spring, summer and autumn droughts.

Most droughts are in the spring, which occur almost every year.

Yangtze River Valley

Droughts usually occur between March and November.

Most of the droughts take place between July and September, which is very harmful to agriculture.

South

Droughts can occur at any time of the year in this region, but mainly take place in early spring, at the end of autumn, and in the winter.

Droughts can last for three to four months most years, and can even on some occasion be as long as seven to eight months.

Southwest

Droughts usually occur from October or November to April or May.

Source: China Meteorological Administration

(China Daily 02/16/2009 page4)