Drought-induced alterations in flow-sediment dynamics pose critical challenges for water resource planning and management. Existing research has primarily focused on impacts of short-term, single-type droughts, lacking analyses of the cascading effects of cross-year drought (duration >= 12 months) and distinctions between different types of droughts (meteorological MD and hydrological HD). This study aims to bridge this gap by: (1) developing a framework to identify cross-year droughts using Standardized Precipitation Index (MD index) and Standardized Streamflow Index (HD index) at 12-months scale; (2) characterizing dynamics of sediment transport rate (STR) across stages of pre-drought, drought, and post-drought; and (3) revealing the cascading effects of drought-type specific influence on flow-sediment dynamics. Seven tributaries from Loess Plateau of China were selected for study cases. To quantity cross-year drought impacts, the power function was employed. Results indicate that the cascading lag effects existing between MD and HD also give rise to differences in their impacts on flow - sediment dynamics. Specifically, (i) cross-year HD induced a 52.65 % greater reduction in mean STR compared to MD. Additionally, post-drought STR surges were 3.72-fold higher than those during drought and 7.66-fold higher than pre-drought. (ii) The average STR is inversely related to the drought duration and severity. This relationship is particularly evident in cross-year HD, where the larger the duration and severity, the smaller the average STR. (iii) After afforestation in the Loess Plateau, STR decreased significantly. Specifically, during cross-year HD and MD events, the sediment supply efficiency declined by 65.6 % and 13.13 %, respectively. The research contributes to a deeper understanding of cross-year drought impacts, and provides support for integrated water-sediment management in the study area and probably other regions.