BEIJING - China's meteorological authority said Monday that torrential rains will hit the country's southern regions over the coming three days.

Heavy rains and storms are expected in some parts of China's southern provinces of Zhejiang, Fujian and Anhui, as well as Yunnan, Sichuan, and Guizhou provinces in the southwest. Precipitation in some areas may total as much as 160mm, according to the National Meteorological Center (NMC).

Some areas in these southern provinces will also see strong gales and thunder, the NMC said.

Meanwhile, the NMC forecast moderate to heavy rains in most parts of the north and the eastern part of Northwest China, including Qinghai and Gansu provinces, over the next three days.

The rainy weather will help ease high temperatures in the north, according to the NMC.

It also said torrential rains hit most of Beijing on Sunday night, and the country's capital city will see mostly cloudy weather over the next three days.