Abstract:Based on the daily observation data of observation stations including Lanzhou,Yuzhong,Gaolan during 1960-2010,the change trends and characteristics of winter air temperature and its possible causes were analyzed. The main results show that the change rate of air temperature, daily range, cold accumulated temperature and extreme temperature days of winter in Lanzhou made a abrupt change in the 1980s.The mean temperature had an overall significant increasing trend,which mainly resulted in the increasing of the minimum temperature in the 1960s and 1970s.Daily range,cold accumulated temperature and extreme minimum temperature days decrease signficantly, which were caused by minimum temperature and maximum temperature warming after the 1980s. Meanwhile,daily range reduced slowly;cold accumulated temperature maintained stable at low levels;extreme maximum temperature days increased significantly.The significant increase of winter temperature in Lanzhou was caused by urbanization and atmospheric circulation anomalies,which accounted for 62.76% and 37.24% respectively. With the prevailing of zonal circulation in the middle of troposphere in extratropics over the continent of Europe and Asia after the mid-1980s and the weakening of trough-ridge-trough,Northwest China is effected by the anomalous south airflow, which located the western anomalous anticyclonic over China. Meanwhile, the urban heat island effect is more significant over the same period.These are all conducive to winter warming in Lanzhou.