Abstract: The meteorological data from four meteorological stations in the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert and its surrounding regions were used to examine the annual, seasonal and monthly patterns and possible changes of precipitation with the variation coefficient and relative difference. The mean annual precipitation at the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert was 26.0 mm, about 37.3% less than the surrounding areas；The annual, seasonal and monthly distributions of the precipitation at the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert were rather similar to those of the surrounding areas; Summer precipitation accounted for 69.3% of total rainfall with increase trend. The average monthly precipitation at the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert was distributed unevenly, the largest was in June and accounted for 41.6% of annual precipitation, the least were in February and March and accounted for only 0.7% of annual precipitation, and the former was nearly 60 times than the latter. The vapor pressure at the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert was relatively unstable, but the relative humidity was relatively stable. The largest annual number of continuous precipitation day was 2.9 d at the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert, and the largest number without precipitation was 96 d. There was an upward trend in the largest number without precipitation.

Key words: precipitation, variation coefficient, Taklimakan Desert