Abstract. In order to study the spatial and temporal variation of characteristics of drought and flood in Dian-Qian-Gui Karst Areas of China, TRMM 3B43 precipitation data from 1998 to 2017 and 72 rain gauge station data from 1998 to 2012 were used to verify the TRMM 3B43 data on monthly scale by correlation coefficient and relative deviation. The TRMM-Z index was taken as an index of drought and flood to quantitatively analyze the drought and flood characteristics. The results show that: (1) there was a significant positive correlation between TRMM 3B43 precipitation data and the measured data of meteorological stations on the monthly scale, with a correlation coefficient of 0.92, passing the significance test of 0.01 level. The calculated result of relative Bias is -0.058, indicating that TRMM 3B43 precipitation is slightly higher than the actual precipitation. (2) From 1998 to 2017, the TRMM-Z index in the research area fluctuated between −1.160 and 1.678, among which the Z index in July 1999 reached the maximum value of 1.678, and in February 2010 the Z index reached the minimum value of −1.160. (3) During the past 20 years, the flood months in the study areas were 47 months, accounting for 19.58% of the study time, and 40 months were drought months, accounting for 16.67% of the study time. Floods mainly occurred in the summer with abundant rainfall, while droughts mainly occurred in the winter with less rainfall. (4) Taking 2008–2009 as typical representative of drought and flood, the spatial variation of drought and flood were researched.