Drought events occurred frequently because of climate warming.Based on monthly precipitation and temperature data from 28 stations (24 rainfall stations and 4 meteorological stations)during the period 1969 -2011 in the Feilaixia catchment of the Beijiang River basin,the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI)is calculated.The multi-scale spatial and temporal characteristics of drought are analyzed using the Mann-Kendall trend test method.The results show that the SPEI is a suitable index to describe the variation of wet and dry spells.Overall,the frequency of drought and the proportion of severe drought show increasing trends in the study area.A significant trend of drought is found in the upstream area and downstream area near the outlet.Furthermore,the trends of drought become more significant and more stable with the increase of time scales.