Abstract: The characteristics, causes of seasonal drought in Southern China and the combating countermeasures are discussed in the paper. The results of the study show that the characteristics of the seasonal drought are: the frequency and intensity of drought have been increasing and the surface soil drought occures simultanously with dry and hot season; the main causes of seasonal drought are: the time difference of distribution of rainfall and evaporation, the limited space of red soil for water storage, the shortage of available water and the high water demend of crops; the key combating countermeasure is: to establish a drought combating technical system which takes the water resource exploitation and water saving as principal measures and takes the reducing of water consumption and the increasing of water utilization ratio as supporting measures. 

Key words: drought, study, Southern China