Abstract:In this paper, the cluster regional drought events in Yunnan from 1961 to 2015 are examined by using a simplified identifying method. Based on the identified drought events, we construct a comprehensive evaluation model of the regional drought event to classify the drought grade using lasting days, stations, the average strength, accumulated strength and extreme strength of drought events. The results further show that frequency, accumulated intensity and accumulated impact of regional droughts display an increasing trend in Yunnan. Regional drought events frequently occur in December, January and March, but less in July and August. The drought events mainly persist 15-45 d, with the longest up to 222 d. Droughts often spread over whole Yunnan Province and influences seriously. In central Yunnan, drought is more frequent and serious. Especially, among the severe drought events, the middle pattern drought occurs most frequently.