Based on the runoff data during the period between 1962and 2008,runoff variations in the Jihe river watershed(1019km²), located in the third sub-region of the Loess Plateau,were characterized using statistical analysis.The results indicate that the runoff presented a evident decreasing trend during the research period,and the runoff in the 1970s,1980s,1990sand 2000saccounted for 62.3%,61.1%,30.2% and 35.2% of the 1960srespectively,with an annual increasing rate of-2.7%and and a variation coefficient of 0.75.It was observed that inter-annual distribution of runoff was greatly unsteady,and the runoff percentages in flood seasons ranged from 50.8%to 95.2% with an average of 76.5%and a monthly variation coefficient of 1.13.According to wet and drought year classification of the runoff,Jihe river watershed has gone since the 1960s through the periods of wet year,average year,sub-wet year and drought year,respectively.The runoff decreased dramatically after 1990,lasting a nine-year period of drought,in coincidence with the large-scaled implementation of soil and water conservation.Thorough descriptions of the response of hydrological factors to land use and cover changes are another requirement for future study in the watershed.