Using precipitation,air temperature,and runoff data from Xilinhot Meteorological Station and Hydrological Station from 1982 to 2018,the meteorological and hydrological drought index was calculated,and cross-wavelet analysis,cumulative anomaly,and run length theory were used to explore the hydrological drought evolution characteristics and leading factors in the Xilin River Basin. The results showed that from 1982 to 2016,the rainfall and potential evapotranspiration in the Xilin River Basin increased year by year,while the runoff depth showed a decreasing trend in each year. Due to the high drought level in upper reaches of Xilin River Basin in summer and winter,and the continuous drought in summer and winter since 2000,the high temperature and low temperature were the important reasons that may cause drought in the Xilin River Basin. Cross wavelet analysis found that the lagging relationship between meteorological drought and hydrological drought will be somewhat change,not all regions show that hydrological drought lags behind meteorological drought. The impact of human activities and climate change on the occurrence of hydrological drought in 1990—1998 and 1999—2016 was 67.7%,55.6% and 32.3%,44.4%,with a decreasing trend year by year.