In this study,the spatial-temporal features of eight extreme precipitation indices selected in the Yangtze-Huaihe River Basin during 1979-2011 are analyzed to assess the reanalysis datasets of ERA-Interim and NCEP/DOE,using the observational data from meteorological stations as a reference.The results are as follows:1)The consecutive wet day(CDD),day of heavy rainfall (R10mm,R20mm) and the extreme indices based on percentiles(R95p,R99p) are distributed with low values in the north and high values in the south,while the consecutive dry day is distributed with a positive phase.In addition,the intensity indices(Rx1day,Rx5day) show high values along the coast of Zhejiang.2)The R10mm and R20mm show decreasing trends in most regions,with the exception of the marginal areas of the basin,where weak increasing trends are observed.3)The intensity indices averaged over the basin tend to increase with time.The annual cycles of these indices demonstrate bell-shaped patterns,with peaks in July.In late summer and winter,there is a more obvious trend of increasing with age,while in autumn it decreases with age.4)The two reanalysis datasets show both advantages and weaknesses when presenting the extreme indices.The ERA-Interim performs better in producing the spatial patterns of R10mm,CDD and percentile indices,as well as the linear trend of CDD.It also produces better inter-annual variations of intensity and percentile indices.However,its ability to reproduce the trend distribution of CWD is weak.On the other hand,NCEP/DOE is better at presenting the spatial pattern of R20mm,as well as the linear trends of intensity and percentile indices.However,its ability to express the trend of the duration index is weak.5)The two reanalysis datasets can reasonably reproduce the interannual variation characteristics of R10mm,R20mm,CDD and seasonal variation characteristics of intensity indices.