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Recent climate change causes rainfall variability. This study aimed to report maize yield in a dryland area of North Lombok as affected by rainfall variability. A three-year study was conducted during a period of maize growing season (December to April) in 2015/2016, 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 in Gumantar village, North Lombok. Daily rainfall data was collected from a rain gauge installed in one of maize farmers- land. Estimation of drain upper limit (DUL) and crop lower limit (CLL) was done based on gravimetric method. Hand-held core kits were used to collect soil samples at 0-15cm, 15-30cm, 30-60cm depth at sowing, fast vegetative growth stage (35 days after sowing=DAS), grain filling stage (85 DAS), and at harvest. Maize yield data were collected from 20 farmers that all grew maize as main crop and legume crop (ground nut or mung bean) as secondary crop. The study revealed that there was a great rainfall variability in term of the beginning of rainy season, volume and distribution of the rain as well as the occurrence of dry-spell period. The rainfall variability had caused a great maize yield variability, not only between the growing seasons but also within a growing season. The highest maize yield recorded was 8.4 ton/ha and the lowest was 0.6 ton/ha. Timing in sowing the seeds and the ability of the crops to escape the dry-spell determined the crops yield. Growing legume crop in addition to maize can be a good practice in dryland area to avoid total yield loss.