Properties of a moving striation in the positive column of a dc glow discharge are investigated using a pulsed microwave technique. The electron density and the power absorption in various portions of the striation are determined from the time‐resolved resonant curves of a microwave cavity containing the discharge, and the variation of the electron temperature is inferred from the absorption measurement. The results of the measurement show a large degree of variation of both the temperature and the density within one cycle of the striation. The variation of the light intensity measured with a photomultiplier tube is observed to be in phase with the temperature. These results are consistent with the Langmuir probe data and results of other microwave measurements previously reported.