The Loess plateau is primarily a rain - fed agricultural area in China,and water is one of the main factors affecting agricultural production in the region. As a result of global warming,precipitation is a critical variable affecting the water cycle and plant growth. The simulation accuracy of precipitation directly influences climate change projections and impact assessments. The regional climate model,PRECIS (Providing Regional Climates for Impacts Studies),has been widely used for climate change projection; however,its capability for impact studies has been rarely assessed. Using ERA40 reanalysis data as the boundary conditions,precipitation on the Loess Plateau during 19602000 was simulated and its applicability was evaluated through comparison with the observed precipitation frequency,amount,and extreme events. PRECIS simulated the spatial distribution of precipitation changes along the southeast-northwest direction; however,the wet days and precipitation amounts were overestimated by 1.8 times the recorded amounts,and the indices related to the drought index were greatly underestimated. PRECIS simulated the low values more accurately than the high values of each index. The model simulated the temporal changes more accurately in the dry season due to an overestimation of wet days and precipitation in the flood season. For extreme indices,PRECIS simulated intensity-related indices more accurately than those related to frequency. Overall,PRECIS cannot be directly used to assess the impacts of climate change on hydrology,and the model calibration method should be discussed further.