BEIJING - A strong cold front will bring lower temperature and heavy rain to South China in the next three days, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said Sunday.

The cold front will affect regions south of Huaihe River and the eastern part of Southwest China, where temperatures will decrease by four to eight degrees Celsius, said the NMC in a statement.

The cold front will also bring rain to the above regions as it meets the warm front there. The biggest rainfall will surpass 250 millimeters in some areas of Sichuan Province, according to the statement.

It also forecast heavy rains in the country's northern provinces of Shaanxi and Shanxi, and some of the southwestern and central provinces.

Continuous rain will increase risks of floods and related geologic hazard in those areas, the statement noted, urging local authorities to take preventive measures.