In this study, on the basis of the temperature data collected at 612 meteorological stations in China from 1961 to 2019, cold regions were defined using three indicators: an average temperature of <−3.0 °C during the coldest month; less than five months with an average temperature of >10 °C; and an annual average temperature of ≤5 °C. Spatial interpolation, spatial superposition, a trend analysis, and a spatial similarity analysis were used to obtain the spatial distribution of the cold regions in China from 1961 to 2019. Then, the areas of the cold regions and the spatial change characteristics were analyzed. The results reveal that the average area of the cold regions in China from 1961 to 2019 was about 427.70 × 10⁴ km², accounting for about 44.5% of the total land area. The rate of change of the area of the cold regions from 1961 to 2019 was −14.272 × 10⁴ km²/10 a, exhibiting a very significant decreasing trend. On the basis of the changes between 1991–2019 and 1961–1990, the area of China’s cold regions decreased by 49.32 × 10⁴ km². The findings of this study provide references for studying changes in the natural environment due to climate change, as well as for studying changes on a global scale.

As a major agricultural province of China, Shandong province has long ranked first in agricultural growth value among all of the provinces; at the same time, it is also the province that is most affected by dry-hot wind. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the spatial zoning of the risks of dry-hot wind in this province. Based on meteorological, slope, and altitude data, and the principle of disaster risk assessment, this study uses a weighted comprehensive evaluation method, analytic hierarchy process, and ARC-GIS spatial analysis to study the spatial zoning of the risks of dry-hot wind in Shandong province. The results show that the high-risk regions of dry-hot wind are concentrated in the north-central portion of the province, the medium-risk regions are in the peripheral areas, and the low-risk regions are located mainly in the west, southwest, and east. Exposure of disaster-bearing bodies is high in the south and low in the north, while vulnerability to disaster-bearing bodies is high in the west and low in the east. The more developed areas in the east show high disaster prevention and mitigation capability, whereas this is weak in the west. In summary, dry-hot wind risk in Shandong province varies significantly by area. The medium- and high-risk areas are mainly in the west and central portions of the province.