The responds of oilseed rape yield to climate changes was not reported in China, and the climate-yield statistical relationship for winter oilseed rape constructed in Jiangsu province, southeast China should be a valuable attempt. With using climate and yield data at 52 stations in Jiangsu during 1961-2012, the main findings in this study were as follows: (1) correlation analysis between oilseed rape yield and seasonal climate variables indicated that average temperature difference (TD), total rainfalls (RF), total rainy days (RD), total sunshine hours (SH), and average relative humidity (RH) in spring were the key agro-meteorological indicators significantly affecting yield; (2) according to the principal component analysis on the five selected indicators in all stations, this province was classified as four climactic sub-regions for oilseed rape production: north, central-north, central-south, and south Jiangsu, respectively; (3) the significant responses of oilseed rape yield to spring climate variability were detected in central-south and south Jiangsu, and the strong decreasing trends of RF, RD, and RH during study periods in this region had increased yield by up to 0.68%, 1.44%, and 5.68%, respectively; (4) spring RD in the central-south and south Jiangsu was screened as the leading indicator for oilseed rape, and it showed a significant decrease after 1985.