In China, the occurrence trend of the meadow moth Loxostege sticticalis L. remained low during the period 2010-2016. In order to reveal the historical status of these low-occurrence years, we analyzed the temporal and spatial characteristics of this new period, using second and third outbreak periods (1979-1985 and 1996-2009) and the intermission between them (1986-1995) as controls. Our results indicated that the new occurrence period (2010-2016) showed the same characteristics as intermission period by significance analysis of difference among four periods. (1) On comparison of the annual occurrence area in China among the four periods, we detected no significant difference between the 2010-2016 and 1986-1995 period, whereas there was a significant difference between these two periods and the other two outbreak periods. (2) On comparison of the annual occurrence areas in North China (NC), Northeast China (NEC), and Northwest China (NWC) among the four periods, we found that NC and NEC showed the same trend as the whole country, as the annual mean occurrence area in the 1996-2009 and 1979-1985 periods was significantly higher than that in the 1986-1995 and 2010-2016 periods. However, NWC showed obvious inconsistencies with the whole country, as its annual mean occurrence area was highest in the 2010-2016 period, moderate in the 1996-2009 and 1979-1985 periods, and lowest in the 1986-1995 period. (3) On comparison of the annual occurrence ratios of NC, NEC, and NWC with that in the whole country among the four periods, we found that NC sustained a considerably high occurrence ratio in each period, although the differences were not significant. Furthermore, the occurrence ratio of NEC in the 1996-2009 period was significantly higher than that in the 1986-1995 and 2010-2016 periods, and the occurrence ratio of NWC in the 2010-2016 period was significantly higher than that in the other three periods. The analysis of annual occurrence regions (counties) and the ratio of NC, NEC and NWC in 2010-2016 compared with 2006 (low occurrence) and 2009 (high occurrence), revealed a northwestward reduction in the occurrence distribution during the new period. These results indicated that the meadow moth had already entered a new intermission period after 2010 in China. In the time period from 1979 to 2016, the correlations of occurrence in NC, NEC and NWC with that in the whole of China were individually analyzed. The results obtained were as follows. (1) The natural logarithm (ln) of the occurrence area in NC and NEC was positively correlated with that of the whole China, showing the same fluctuating pattern in annual dynamics. (2) The ln of the occurrence area in NWC was also positively correlated with that of the whole China, but showed different fluctuations during some periods. (3) Since 2005, the fluctuation in NWC occurrence has gradually approached that of the whole China, which was deduced in connection with the establishment and development of a population in Xinjiang.