The classification of cold waves in East and Southeast Asia based on the spatial pattern of 850hPa temperature anomalies and their relation to cloud activity at lower latitudes are examined.<br> First, by applying rotated principal components analysis to daily 98-station data in the area 100-150°E, 0° -45°N, for 4 winters (1983/84-1986/87), five anomaly patterns of 850 hPa temperature are extracted. The negative score of each anomaly pattern (the lst-5th components) represents each cold anomaly pattern (Type I-V).<br> Secondly, the synoptic conditions of each cold anomaly pattern and the features of each component score are investigated. The results are summarized as follows:<br> Type I: The center of the cold anomaly is located in central China. The pressure trough stretches zonally to the northeast of the Tibetan plateau at 500hPa. The Siberian high at 1000hPa shifts southward along the eastern edge of the plateau. This type appeared more frequently in 1983/84, but less frequently in 1985/86. In this type, interannual variation is dominant.<br> Type II : This type has the center of the cold anomaly over northeastern China. The pressure trough stretches meridionally to the east of the Tibetan plateau at 500hPa. At 1000hPa, the pressure gradient over the northern part of Primorskij is steep. This type appeared often in 1985/86, but less often in 1983/84, in contrast with Type I.<br> Type III: The center of the cold anomaly dominates over the south of Japan. Since a sharp pressure gradient is found over Japan at 1000hPa, this type is consistent with the so-called west high-east low type in the pressure patterns of Japan. Many cases of this type occurred in both 1983/ 84 and 1985/86. This type follows Type I or Type II.<br> Type IV: The center of the cold anomaly is located in south China. A subcenter of the Siberian high is formed on the plains of China at 1000 hPa. Jet streams at 500 hPa are weak both north and south of the plateau. This type seems to have a 15- to 30-day period variation.<br> Type V: The center of the cold anomaly exists over northern Japan. At 850 hPa, the temperature gradient from Pohai to the Japan Sea is steep. This feature corresponds to so-called north high type in the pressure patterns of Japan. This type tends to emerge a few days after Type II.<br> Furthermore, cloud activity at lower latitudes in relation to these cold anomaly patterns is examined. When Type III or Type IV appears, a cloud band that is accompanied by a trough around 140° E and the southern edge of the cloud cluster around 110° E often emerge on GMS IR images. In particular, the appearance of Type IV coincides with the westward phase of the disturbance area near the equator rather than the usual eastward phase. Therefore, Type IV may play a role in the midlatitude-tropical interaction of the atmosphere.