Dynamic Evolutions and Precursory Meteorological Anomalies of Compound Drought‐Heat Events in Northeast China Under a 3D Connected‐Component Tracking Framework

Tracking compound climate extremes is critical for disaster mitigation. However, traditional assessments relying on static two‐dimensional slices often fragment physical event lifecycles, while existing three‐dimensional clustering approaches are constrained by rigid, subjective parameters. To address this, we develop an adaptive 3D spatiotemporal tracking framework. This approach quantifies joint hazard stress using a Copula‐based Standardized Compound Extreme Index (SCEI), extracts discrete spatial patches via a region‐growing algorithm, and traces temporal continuity through adaptive spatial overlap criteria. Applying this framework to compound drought‐heat events (CDHEs) in Northeast China (1960–2022), we quantified their topological evolution and associated precursory meteorological anomalies. Results indicate: (1) The framework identified 248 complete CDHE lifecycles, highlighting the dominance of large‐scale persistent events in driving regional drought‐heat stress. (2) Spatial evolution exhibits a bifurcated pattern: local emergence‐dissipation (66.9%) and cross‐regional migration (21.0%, with centroid displacements exceeding 100 km). The latter is often accompanied by notable boundary deformation during intense spatial fluctuations. (3) Event initiation is driven by synergistic interactions between antecedent moisture deficits and concurrent meteorological anomalies (rapid rises in temperature and vapour pressure deficit) immediately prior to onset, rather than linear accumulation. (4) The fundamental distinction between high‐intensity and low‐intensity events is the earlier establishment of thermal dominance and the rapid amplification of meteorological anomalies before onset. Ultimately, this transferable framework advances the real‐time monitoring of diverse extremes across regions. It provides a robust tool for elucidating how compound hazards transition from gradual accumulation to critical states.