Abstract: Based on the daily meteorological drought comprehensive index data in the summer of from 1981 to 2022, the study analyzed in detail the climate characteristics of summer drought in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. Based on global reanalysis data and the circulation characteristic index, the circulation characteristics during drought are analyzed from Rossby wave propagation, West Pacific subtropical high(WPSH) and water vapor transport. The results showed that the frequency of summer drought events in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River was 3-4 times every 10 years. The “+ - +” circulation pattern was located in the middle and upper troposphere of Eurasia during the drought period. The anomaly centers are located in northern Europe, near the Balkhas Lake and most of China. The mid-high latitude disturbance propagates eastward along the westerlies, without the characteristic of propagating southeastward in East Asia, resulting in the northward location of cold air activity, which hardly affected the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. Drought may occur when WPSH in the subtropical zone was strong to the west and small to the east, and drought may occur in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. The water vapor transport from the Bay of Bengal was weak, and that from the South China Sea passed through the Yangtze River and influenced the northern region, resulting that the upper reaches of the Yangtze River was in divergence, which was not conducive to precipitation in the basin.