Heavy rain to hit vast parts of China

China's top observatory forecast Saturday that a vast part of the country will be hit by heavy rain in the next two days, when people are to enjoy the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday.

Up to 8 p.m. Sunday, rain will hit the country's western, central and northern parts, including Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Tibet and provinces of Sichuan, Shanxi, Shaanxi and Yunnan, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said in a statement.

Some of the regions will be hit by heavy rain and thunderstorms, the center said.

From late Sunday to Monday, heavy rain is going to pelt some regions in Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Gansu, Henan, Hainan and Guangdong.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, which is to fall on Monday under China's lunar calendar, is a traditional Chinese holiday during which families reunite under the full moon and eat mooncakes.