Based on the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis datasets and the precipitation data from 160 stations in China during 1951—2010,the relationship between the flood/drought in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the anomalous atmospheric circulation over Philippine Sea was investigated.Results indicate that the area around the Philippine Sea is the key region to significantly affect the precipitation over the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.The intensity of the anomalous anticyclone(cyclone) located over the Philippine Sea is strongest at 850 hPa and decreases as altitude increases as well as its relationship with the above mentioned precipitation.When the anomalous anticyclone appears around the Philippine Sea,the distributions of the vertical velocity and water vapor flux,among others,are all favorable to bring more precipitation around the Yangtze River basin,and vise versa.