The dominance of deficit conditions in North China including the North China Plain and Mongolia can be seen in the 12-month composite map for July 2015 through June 2016 (below), with some areas experiencing both deficits and surpluses. The map is based on observed data through September 2015 and forecasts issued the last week of September 2015.

Widespread surpluses are forecast for Southeast China, which may be of exceptional severity in Fujian and along the Pearl River (Zhujiang).

Drought in Mongolia has taken a toll on crop production - estimates for the 2015 wheat production are 50 percent below a record 2014 harvest and 40 percent below the previous five-year average. Nearby in China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, 3.6 million people have been affected by the drought, with more than 1 million deemed at high risk; direct economic losses have been estimated at 6.5 billion yuan ($1.02 billion). In east China's Fujian and Zhejiang provinces heavy rains from Typhoon Dujuan caused economic losses of 1.4 billion yuan (250 million U.S. dollars).

Deficits in the North as well as surpluses in the South are forecast to diminish in severity in the latter part of the forecast period, as seen in the 3-month composites (below) for the same 12-month period. Likewise, the drought in South Korea – which has been persistent, exceptional, and widespread – is expected to diminish.