The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), standard deviations, and correlation analysis methods were adopted to explore temporal and spatial characteristics of dry and wet climatic changes in northern China using monthly precipitation data for the last 55 years (1960-2014) from 320 stations across 15 provinces. Furthermore, based on the Drought stations proportion and drought intensity, temporospatial characteristics of annual drought were also studied. The results showed that:(1) From 1960 to 2014, there was a general trend of northern China gradually becoming arid. The annual Drought stations proportion and drought intensity declined simultaneously. (2) Although there was a trend of increasing wetness in both spring and winter, it was more obvious in the winter. On the contrary, summer and autumn had a trend of becoming arid, which was more obvious in the summer. Summer precipitation was a determining factor for variation in annual dry-wet patterns. (3) Humid and semi-humid areas tended to become more arid, whereas arid and semi-arid areas had a wetting trend. The Drought stations proportion and drought intensity increased in humid and semi-humid areas, but decreased in arid and semi-arid areas. (4) Dry-wet climatic changes in northern China's eastern monsoon area (humid and semi-humid areas) and both sides of the boundaries of the monsoon area (semi-humid and semi-arid areas) had obviously synchronous fluctuation trends. However, there were opposite fluctuation trends in northern China's eastern monsoon area (humid and semi-humid areas) and arid areas in the western non-monsoon area of northern China. Summer had the same pattern, and dry-wet changes in four dry and wet areas in winter and spring also had synchronous fluctuation trends.