Climate
The climate of Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture is diverse, with significant regional and vertical differences, and has the climate characteristics and change patterns of high-altitude mountainous areas. The autonomous prefecture is located in the East Asian monsoon region and is the closest area to the sea in Guizhou Province. Most of the year is influenced by warm and humid air currents from the ocean. As a result of monsoon activity, Qiannan Prefecture experiences significant fluctuations in temperature throughout the four seasons, presenting a plateau weather pattern of sudden cold and heat. At the end of autumn each year, the temperature often drops sharply due to a strong cold air intrusion; At the end of winter, the powerful Southwest Warm Current flows northward, causing a significant increase in temperature throughout the state. Although the autonomous prefecture is located on a plateau, due to its low latitude and proximity to the sea, the warm and humid air currents blowing from the ocean every year bring sufficient heat, making it rich in heat. The average frost free period in the whole state is 292 days, and the sunshine intensity in most areas of the state is around 30%. The annual average temperature in the whole state is 13.6 ℃ -19.6 ℃, gradually increasing from north to south and from west to east. The autonomous prefecture is one of the rainy areas in Guizhou Province, with annual precipitation often exceeding 1200 millimeters.
River system
Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture is high in mountains and water, and many places are the source of the Yangtze River and the Pearl River water systems. Many rivers flow through the karst caves in the karst development zone, coming and going intermittently, appearing and disappearing, and the Ming River is closely connected to the Fu River, constantly changing. Many sections of the Minghe River have steep slopes and large drops. Some river sections have high cliffs and fast flowing water, and there are many waterfalls in both the Minghe and underground rivers. There is a significant amount of atmospheric precipitation (with an average annual precipitation of around 1300 millimeters), but in areas with karst development, there is severe fissure leakage. During the sunny weather of spring and summer, surface water continuously evaporates upwards and leaks downwards, quickly leading to drought; When the rain or rainstorm comes, the underground river is full, overflows the ground, has no place to flow, and is stuck in the low-lying basin. At this time, there are many short-lived (3-5 days) mountain lakes. There are a total of 117 small and medium-sized rivers in the autonomous prefecture, with a flow of over 5000 kilometers, of which 55 have a catchment area of 100-500 square kilometers; There are 11 areas ranging from 501-1000 square kilometers; There are 11 areas ranging from 1001 to 5000 square kilometers; There are two rivers with an area of over 5001 square kilometers (Wujiang River and Hongshui River). The density of the river network in the whole state is 0.2 kilometers per square kilometer. The water system of the autonomous prefecture belongs to the Yangtze River basin and the the Pearl River basin.