Rain to hit more areas in China

China's meteorological authority said Sunday that more areas in the country, including the southwestern regions and some parts in the north, will be hit by rain over the coming 24 hours.

Some parts of Tibet and Guangxi autonomous regions, the provinces of Yunnan, Sichuan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Fujian will receive torrential downpours, while Inner Mongolia autonomous region, some areas in north and northwest China will see showers and thunder showers, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said in an online statement.

While rains will continue in the south, and the heat wave that has parched southern parts of north China as well as areas along the Yellow, Huaihe, Yangtze and Hanjiang rivers, will gradually weaken, the center said.

From Sunday to Monday, temperatures in parts of Henan, Hubei and Shanxi will stay as high as 35-37 degrees Celsius, but the seething heat will ease on Tuesday, the statement said.

The NMC cautioned the public to take care while traveling in the raining season as people return from their holiday on Sunday, the last day of the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday.

The Dragon Boat Festival, also called Duanwu Festival, is traditionally celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese lunar calendar. The festival fell on Saturday this year.