According to national standard of cold wave grade, based on daily minimum temperature data from 16 weather stations in Handan of Hebei Province from 1976 to 2016, the characteristics of frequency, cooling duration and range and the minimum temperature of 24-hour, 48-hour and 72-hour cold wave processes and the change trend of cold wave action were statistically analyzed by using linear trend and Mann-Kendall test methods. The results show that the cold wave actions appeared mainly from September to next May in Handan of Hebei Province, especially in late autumn and early spring. The frequency of cold waves was high in eastern and northern Handan, while that was low in the central region. The duration days of cooling during the cold wave processes was from 1 day to 6 days, which was negative related with frequency and positive related with cooling range. The maximum of monthly average cooling range during 24-hour, 48-hour and 72-hour cold wave processes appeared in May, September and November, respectively. The average minimum temperature of cooling process was -4.20, -4.99, -6.96 ℃, respectively. The monthly mean minimum temperature appeared in January, and followed by December. The cold air path of cold wave actions was dominated by the northwest and westward paths, and the circulation situation was mainly a ridge and a trough pattern and transverse trough pattern. The frequency of 24-hour, 48-hour and 72-hour cold wave processes decreased significantly in Handan from 1976 to 2016 as a whole, but the interdecadal variation characteristic was obvious, it increased first and then dropped, the abrupt change appeared in 2009,2009 and 2012, respectively.