[2] The lack of precipitation caused lower than normal snow cover, putting wheat crops at risk of being killed by frost as well as reducing the amount of moisture in the ground.
[2] The provinces of Anhui, Gansu, Henan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Shaanxi, Shandong, and Shanxi were impacted by the drought.
[6] During late February and early March, three events of snow or rain impacted much of northern China, leaving less than a third of the total acreage of wheat production still affected.
[8] By early February 2011, the Chinese government had spent nearly US$15 billion in cash payments to farmers and subsidies to reduce the price of materials like diesel fuel, pesticides, and fertilizer.
[10] Others blamed the restrictions on using water from certain sources, intended to go to industrial or residential developments, for increasing the effects of the drought on their crops.