Abstract: By using the temperature and precipitation data from 6 meteorological stations in the middle Himalayas during 1971-2007, trends, anomalies and abrupt change of climate were analyzed. Remarkable increasing trends of annual and seasonal temperatures were detected in the region, and the rate of warming in winter half year (briefly winter hereafter) was greater than that in summer half year (briefly summer hereafter). Annual and summer temperatures showed an increasing trend on both the south and north sides of the middle Himalayas; winter temperature on the both sides decreased slightly from the 1970s to the 1980s, then gradually increased in the 1990s. For annual and seasonal temperatures, the most significant increasing trend was observed in 2001-2007, when the temperature increment ranged from 0.6 to 1.1℃relative to the 1970s. The abrupt change of annual temperature was observed in 1997 over the south side of the middle Himalayas; the warming trend was more dramatic since 1997. Since the end of the 1990s, the frequency of extreme warm years has obviously increased, especially on the south side. An increasing trend of annual and seasonal precipitation was detected on the north side of the middle Himalayans; an increasing trend was also found in winter on the south side, while a decreasing trend was observed in summer and annual precipitation. Large anomalies in precipitation mainly occurred in the 1980s and 1990s, and its frequency has reduced since the 21st century. In 1971-2007, the annual, seasonal temperature and humidity on the north side increased synchronously, thus showing a warming and wetting trend; the same trend was also found in winter on the south side, while a warming and drying trend was found for summer or the whole year.

Key words: Himalayas, climate change, temperature, precipitation