Research on the Compound Drought and High‐Temperature Events During the Flowering Period of Summer Maize in the Huang‐Huai‐Hai Region of China

With global warming, the frequent occurrence of extreme weather events, especially compound extreme disaster events, poses a serious threat to China’s food security. As one of the main grain‐producing areas in China, the Huang‐Huai‐Hai (HHH) region is greatly affected by compound drought and high‐temperature events (CDHEs). To quantify the impact of this compound disaster during the flowering period of summer maize, this study utilized ERA5 reanalysis data from 1950 to 2022 to construct a CDHEs identification method based on the diurnal‐scale soil water deficit index (SWDI). The high‐temperature event strength (HTS), SWDI, and mean duration of CDHEs showed an increasing trend with climate tendency rates of 0.24 °C/10a, 0.06/10a, and 0.12 day/10a, respectively, especially after 2010, when the enhancement was more significant. In terms of spatial distribution, CDHEs mainly occurred in the south of Hebei (HB), the east of Henan (HN), and the central of Anhui (AH), with the occurrence times reaching 25, 35, and 35 times respectively, which were also the areas with the most significant increase in disasters. Further research indicated that the CDHEs in HHH were mostly drought‐dominated types. Compared to 1950–2000, during 2001–2022, the heat‐dominated and drought‐heat‐dominated CDHEs increased by 18.69% and 3.67%, while drought‐dominated CDHEs decreased by 22.36%. This study could not only help to increase understanding of regional CDHEs but also enhance the capacity to respond to such compound disasters.