Abstract: Background With global warming accelerating the water cycle and increasing the frequency of drought events, semi-arid grassland basins are profoundly affected. Methods This study utilized the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) and standardized runoff index (SRI) from 1979 to 2018 to analyze the lag time of meteorological drought propagation to hydrological drought using the Pearson correlation coefficient. Run theory was applied to identify the characteristics of meteorological and hydrological drought events. A linear drought propagation model was constructed based on matched meteorological-hydrological drought events, quantifying the triggering thresholds of meteorological drought on hydrological drought. Our study developed curves linking recovery time with drought characteristics. Results 1) From 1979 to 2018, 73 meteorological and 60 hydrological droughts were recorded, with significant differences in drought characteristics and event matching rates across phases. 2) Compared to T1 (1979–2000), T2 (2000–2018) showed decreased drought frequency but longer duration, greater intensity, and increased event matching rates by 44.46% and 31.25%, respectively. 3) Meteorological-hydrological droughts significantly impacted vegetation recovery time, showing a linear relationship. 4) As drought intensified, the average vegetation recovery time post-2000 was over a month longer than pre-2000. Conclusions This study provides insights for ecological conservation in semi-arid grassland basins under climate change, contributing to enhanced vegetation resilience in these regions.