Heavy rain to soak south China

 Heavy rain is forecast to soak China's southern and northeastern regions over the next 24 hours, which may further aggregate problems caused by the series of earthquakes in Yunnan Province.

Strong rain will pelt parts of Yunnan, Hunan, Zhejiang, Fujian and Hainan provinces over the coming 24 hours, with precipitation reaching up to 80 mm in some regions, according to a statement posted on the website of the National Meteorological Center.

Record rainfall since late Monday has affected the lives of 100,000 people in Yiliang, Yunnan Province, where multiple earthquakes -- with the strongest measured 5.7 magnitude -- have claimed at least 81 lives.

Rain is also likely to fall on the country's northeast, including Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Heilongjiang Province, the statement said.

The center predicted that most parts of the nation will see temperatures drop by four to six degrees Celsius for the coming 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the center said that Sanba, the 16th tropical storm of the year, was located 13.4 north latitude and 130.8 east longitude at 5 p.m.

Sanba is expected to move northwestward at 10-15 km per hour, but will have no effect on the country's offshore waters over the next two days, according to the statement.