As the largest hydroelectric projects worldwide, the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) affects local precipitation because of the changes of hydrological cycle caused by the impounding and draining of the TGD. However, the influencing characteristics of the TGD on local precipitation remain elusive. In this study, we used precipitation anomaly data derived from long time-series grid precipitation datasets between 1988 and 2017 to understand the changes of precipitation caused by the TGD between 2 epochs, before and after the construction of the TGD (i.e., 1988–2002 and 2003–2017), in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area (TGRA). Results showed that the annual and dry season precipitation anomaly in the TGRA showed an increasing trend, and the flood season precipitation anomaly showed a slight decrease. After the impoundment of the TGD, the precipitation concentration degree in the TGRA was decreased, indicating that the precipitation became increasingly uniform, and the precipitation concentration period was insignificantly increased. An obvious resonance phenomenon between the monthly average water level and precipitation anomaly occurred in the TGRA after 2011 and showed a positive correlation. Our findings excavated the change of local precipitation characteristics before and after the impoundment of the TGRA and proved that this change had a close relationship with the water level.