We studied the impact of sea surface temperature anomaly(SSTA) in the Japan Sea and the sea area east of Japan on the winter rainfall and air temperature in Northeast(NE) China using the singular value decomposition(SVD) and empirical orthogonal function(EOF). The monthly-mean rainfall data observed at 160 stations in China, monthly-mean sea surface temperature(SST) of the Hadley Center for Climate Prediction and Research and monthly-mean air temperature from the NCEP reanalysis during 1960–2011 were used. Correlation analysis indicates that the SSTAs in the Japan Sea in September may last for three or four months and are an important index for forecasting the winter rainfall and air temperature in NE China. Positive SSTAs in the central Japan Sea and in the sea area east of Tokyo correspond to positive rainfall anomaly and negative air temperature anomaly in NE China. With the rise of SST in the Japan Sea, a weak cyclone appears over the Japan Sea. The northeasterly wind transports water vapor from the Okhotsk to NE China, resulting in more rainfall and lower air temperature. Negative SSTA years are accompanied by warmer air temperature and less snow in NE China. The 1000 h Pa geopotential height anomaly and wind anomaly fields are simulated by IAP-9L model, which supports the analysis results. We studied the impact of sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) in the Japan Sea and the sea area east of Japan on the winter rainfall and air temperature in Northeast (NE) China using the singular value decomposition (SVD) and empirical orthogonal function (EOF The monthly-mean rainfall data observed at 160 stations in China, monthly-mean sea surface temperature (SST) of the Hadley Center for Climate Prediction and Research and monthly-mean air temperature from the NCEP reanalysis during 1960-2011 were used. Correlation analysis indicates that the SSTAs in the Japan Sea in September may last for three or four months and are an important index for forecasting the winter rainfall and air temperature in NE China. Positive SSTAs in the central Japan Sea and in the sea area east of Tokyo correspond to positive rainfall anomaly and negative air temperature anomaly in NE China. With the rise of SST in the Japan Sea, a weak cyclone appears over the Japan Sea. The northeasterly wind transports water vapor from the Okhotsk to NE China, resulting in more rainfall and lower air temperature. Negative SSTA years are accompanied by warmer air temperature and less snow in NE China. The 1000 h Pa geopotential height anomaly and wind anomaly fields are simulated by IAP- 9L model, which supports the analysis results.