Abstract: Based on the monthly temperature at 160 stations of China and the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data from 1951 to 2005, the variation of spatial mode for winter temperature in China and its relationship with the atmospheric circulation were studied. Results show that: 1) The winter temperature changes in China have two great modes. The first mode has an identical signal in whole China and the temperature has increased since the middle 1980s. The second mode has a seesaw pattern between northern and southern China, and shows a warming in Northeast China and Northwest China, and cooling in Southwest China and South China after the middle 1980s. 2) The Siberian High is significantly correlated to the first mode of temperature. There are strong tendencies for cold conditions over most of China associated with the strengthened Siberian High, and contrariwise. 3) Arctic Oscillation (AO) is closely associated with the second mode. There are notable tendencies for warm conditions over Northeast China, and Northwest China associated with the positive AO phase.

Key words: Variation of Winter temperature in China, spatial mode, anomalies in atmospheric circulation