In the arid and semi-arid regions of Northwest China, the distribution characteristics of subsurface hydrological elements such as soil water content and temperature in shallow vadose zone play vital roles in protecting the epigenetic ecological environment. Based on the in-situ soil column experiment in wind-blown sand area of Ordos Basin, the water vapor movement, soil water content and temperature distributions of one-dimensional infiltration process were numerically simulated using HYDRUS-1 D model, and verified by the measured values. The results showed that the temperature gradient plays a dominate role in the diurnal distributions of soil water content and water vapor flux in shallow vadose zone. Water vapor movement process can be divided into three stages in daily-scale: stage 1 (1:00-7:00), stage 2 (8:00-16:00), and stage 3 (17:00-23:00). Water vapor flux moved upwards and the water content decreased when the direction of temperature gradient was upward; conversely, the water content increased. Using the HYDRUS model to analyze the water vapor movement, and reveal the mechanism of soil temperature on soil water distribution can provide a scientific basis for evaporation process and ecological environment protection in arid areas.