To explore the identifiable characteristics and spatiotemporal evolution features of flash droughts in the Jialing River Basin, the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of flash drought in the basin from 1980 to 2020 was analyzed based on the standardized evaporative stress ratio. Utilizing a density-based clustering algorithm, flash drought patches were extracted and the trajectory changes of the centroids were analyzed. In addition, the abnormal changes of meteorological elements during the outbreak of flash drought were explored by combining meteorological data. The results show that in the northwestern region of the Jialing River Basin, flash droughts exhibit higher intensity and faster development rates, while longer durations exist in the southern part of the basin. The main occurrence of flash drought in the Jialing River Basin is from April to November. The centroids of flash drought events in the basin predominantly migrate towards the northeast and northwest directions. The flash drought in the Jialing River Basin is primarily dominated by a combination of high temperature and precipitation.