Abstract: Based on the daily mean temperature, daily maximum temperature, daily minimum temperature and daily precipitation data at 30 stations in Henan Province from 1957 to 2005, the spatial and temporal characteristics of changes in weather and climate extremes were studied. The main conclusions are summarized as follows: both the numbers of heavy rain days and the extreme intense precipitation events increased, and long dry spell events also increased, but their increasing tendencies were not distinct. There were obvious differences in trends of the extreme intense precipitation and the number of heavy rain days between the south and north parts of Henan Province. The extreme hot days increased, while the extreme cold days decreased, and the tendency of warm winter was remarkable. The days of maximum temperature ≥35℃ and the days of minimum temperatures ≤0℃ significantly decreased. There were very good consistency in the spatial distribution of the extreme temperature events.

Key words: climate change, intense precipitation, extreme temperature, Henan province