Spatial-temporal patterns of the winter 2022-spring 2023 drought in Southwest China and recommendations for drought disaster risk reduction

From the 2022 winter to the 2023 spring, most of Southwest China had obviously less precipitation and higher temperature than usual years. As a consequence, drought conditions in Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan and Chongqing developed rapidly. While into mid-March, drought in Sichuan, Chongqing and Guizhou was mitigated due to significant rainfalls. Affected by high-temperature and low-rainfall weather, reservoirs in Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan stored less water than usual years and soil in some areas had moderate or higher moisture deficiencies, which brought certain impact to agriculture production in local hilly and mountainous areas. Besides, water supplies in some urban and rural areas were affected, which resulted in shortage of drinking water for residents and livestock in some local areas. To systematically and comprehensively review this drought event and to summarize experiences on drought control in Southwest China, this work analyzed the cause, the developing process, and characteristics of disaster impact of this event. Moreover, this work also summarized primary drought control measures in disaster-affected regions and proposed suggestions on promoting drought risk reduction capacities, which could provide reference for future drought control in Southwest China.