The National Meteorological Center said a prolonged spell of wet weather is set to affect large parts of China next week, raising concerns about potential secondary disasters as some areas will receive above-average rainfall.

Starting on Sunday, parts of central, eastern and southern China will experience a 10-day spell of rainy weather, with affected areas likely to receive rainfall 30 to 70 percent above the seasonal average, while more than double the average rainfall is expected in some locations, the center said.

From Sunday through Thursday, heavy rainfall is expected to drench southern China, according to Weather China, a website affiliated with the China Meteorological Administration.

The heaviest rainfall is forecast for Monday, when eastern parts of Jiangxi province and northwestern parts of Fujian province are likely to witness very heavy downpours, the website said.

Ma Xuekuan, the National Meteorological Center's chief forecaster, said the weather pattern is the result of the interaction between frequent weak cold air masses and active warm, moist currents from the south. He warned that parts of Guizhou and Hunan provinces could experience severe convective weather, including thunderstorms, strong winds and hail.

"Until late March, southern China will see frequent rain, with fresh downpours hitting already soaked areas. Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces, and northern parts of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region will face heightened risks of secondary disasters from prolonged rainfall," he said.

Feng Lei, a senior engineer at the China Meteorological Administration's Public Meteorological Service Center, advised people to monitor weather warnings closely and avoid traveling during periods of intense rain or storms.

She said the rainy weather could also affect renewable energy, adding that the sector should adjust energy distribution and storage plans to mitigate the impact. She also urged authorities to guard against infrastructure risks posed by severe convective weather.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the China Meteorological Administration issued a joint risk warning on Saturday for farmland waterlogging, which is expected to affect parts of Guizhou, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces from Sunday to Thursday.

Authorities have urged affected regions to strengthen ditch and canal clearance to ensure proper drainage, and ensure low water levels in reservoirs and ponds.

Meanwhile, northern China is experiencing a spell of unseasonal warm weather.

Temperatures across the region are expected to remain above average for the next few days. On Wednesday, Taiyuan in Shanxi province, Jinan in Shandong province and Zhengzhou in Henan province are forecast to see new seasonal high temperatures of up to 25 C, according to Weather China.

The website cautioned that despite high maximum temperatures, northern China still faces large temperature swings, with a difference of more than 20 C between day and night temperatures in some areas. Residents are advised to dress in layers.