Abstract: Based on daily snow cover depth data and monthly mean temperature data obtained from 27 stations in the Middle and Lower Reaches of Yangtze River (MLRYR) during 1961-2011, the spatial-temporal variations of snow cover days in the MLRYR under the background of global warming were analyzed by using mathematical statistics methods, and the indicating climatic significance of snow cover days for each station was quantitatively evaluated. The results show that: (1) In the past 50 years, the average snow cover days for the MLRYR were 5.6 days, with the highest days observed in 1968 and the lowest detected in 2006, respectively; Spatially, the average annual snow cover days for each station in the MLRYR during the past 50 years ranged from 0.9 to 11.3 days, with the largest number observed in Bozhou and the smallest snow cover days occurring in Wenzhou. (2) The snow cover days in the MLRYR showed an insignificant decreasing trend during the past 50 years, of which the changing rate was -0.50±0.77 d/10 a. The largest decreasing trend of snow cover days were found in the northeastern part of the study area, while the rates in the central region were moderate. However, a weak increasing trend in southwestern region was detected. (3) The snow cover days in the MLRYR had a strong climatic indication to the average temperature of winter and the following January to March. The intensity of climatic indication was stronger in the southeastern and southern regions, and weaker in the northeastern and northern regions.