Objective To establish a rat model of acute pulmonary edema under high-altitude hypobaric hypoxia and a cold environment, and to explore the effect of cold factors on the formation of acute high-altitude pulmonary edema. Methods One-hundred healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into two groups (n= 50): HN and HC groups. Each group was divided into five subgroups ( n= 10) with five time points: 0, 24, 48, 72 and 120 h. The two groups of rats were placed in an artificial experimental cabin to simulate hypobaric hypoxia at an altitude of 7000 m, different ambient temperatures were set, the rats were anesthetized at the corresponding time points, and alveolar lavage fluid and lung tissue were collected. The BALF protein concentration and W/ D ratio of lung tissue were measured. The lung tissue was sectioned and stained with HE to observe pathological changes. Results The W/ D ratio of lung tissue was increased in HN and HC groups. The W/ D ratio of lung tissue in the HN group reached the highest at 72 h, and that in the HC group reached the highest at 48 h. At 48, 72 and 120 h, the W/ D ratio of lung tissue in the high-altitude cold group was significantly higher than that in the HN group (P<0. 05). The trend in the changes of the BALF protein concentration and lung pathology was the same as that of the lung W/ D ratio. The BALF protein concentration and lung injury score in the HN group reached the highest at 72 h, which were ( 0. 2802 ± 0. 0243) and ( 1. 7778 ± 0. 4410) mg / mL respectively, and the BALF protein concentration and lung injury score in HC group reached the highest at 48 h, and their values were (0. 3352 ± 0. 0204) and (2. 8889 ± 1. 0541) mg / mL respectively. At 48, 72 and 120 h, the BALF protein concentration and lung injury score in the HC were higher than those in the HN group ( P< 0. 05). Conclusions In the simulated hypobaric hypoxia environment at high altitude of 7000 m, the SD rat model of acute high-altitude pulmonary edema was successfully established after exposure to cold conditions ( daytime temperature: 15℃ ; nighttime temperature: 5℃ ) for 48 h, but it required 72 h at normal temperature. This study suggests that cold factors promote the occurrence and development of acute high-altitude pulmonary edema.