Based on the observation data of Tengger desert from 1957 to 2017, the temporal change analysis, catastrophe analysis and periodic change analysis of the 60 year time series precipitation in the whole study area are carried out. The results show the average precipitation in Tengger desert area was 146.5 mm from 1957 to 2017, and the overall precipitation showed no significant (P>0.05) increase trend, with a growth rate of about 3.37 mm/10a; The seasonal distribution of precipitation is extremely uneven, with a clear division of dry and wet seasons. The total precipitation in summer and autumn accounts for about 80.5% of the annual precipitation The precipitation from 1960s to 1970s and 1980s to 1990s has occurred many abrupt changes（non-significant(P>0.05)）, while the seasonal precipitation fluctuates obviously after 1990s. The spatial distribution of precipitation in Tengger desert area for 60 years is generally "high in the South and low in the north, high in the East and low in the west"; the precipitation around Tengger desert from 1957 to 2017 generally has the main periodic rule of about 14 years, followed by the high-frequency cycle of about 3 years and the low-frequency cycle of about 30 years.