Abstract: Based on the daily precipitation data of 41 national surface meteorological stations in Qinghai Province from June to August and the monthly reanalysis data of ERA-Interim 0.5° × 0.5°, the temporal and spatial variation characteristics and synoptic causes of summer extreme precipitation in Qinghai Province from 1981 to 2018 were analyzed. The results show that the frequency of extreme precipitation in August and summer has a significant increasing trend, and the maximum daily precipitation, extreme precipitation threshold and extreme precipitation frequency of more than 75 % stations have an increasing trend. There is a significant positive correlation between extreme precipitation frequency and altitude, between maximum daily precipitation and 500hPa specific humidity, 500hPa geopotential height, and near-surface temperature. Taking the atmospheric circulation field in August in the year with high incidence of extreme precipitation as an example, the 200hPa upper-level jet extended to 70°~100°E, and the positive height anomaly at 100hPa exceeded 3.2hPa. The development of high-level cold high was abnormally strong, and the temperature and height anomaly of the Tibetan Plateau at 500hPa were abnormally high. The convergence intensity of disturbance energy in the upstream region reached −1 × 10⁻⁶m/s². The water vapor anomaly in the year with high incidence was enhanced, and the maximum positive specific humidity anomaly exceeded 0.4g/kg. The disturbance intensity of ascending motion anomaly and positive vorticity anomaly was abnormally strong, and its characteristics were conducive to the generation of extreme precipitation.