China's National Meteorological Center (NMC) said Sunday morning more rains would fall in the mudslide-hit Zhouqu County in northwest China's Gansu Province in the coming three days, which may hamper the relief efforts in the region.

Showers and thundershowers with a precipitation between 1 and 5 millimeters are expected in Zhouqu County and the valley of Bailong River that runs through the county Sunday, when China began a national day of mourning for the mudslide victims.

Rainfall will strengthen to rainstorms with a precipitation up to 70 to 90 millimeters on Monday and Tuesday in Zhouqu County, said a weather forecast given by the NMC Sunday.

The mudslide in Zhouqu County has left at least 1,239 people dead and 505 others missing.

As for other parts of China, the NMC weather report said downpours and hailstones would pound some areas in northern Chongqing Municipality, southwestern Hubei Province and northwestern Hunan Province from Sunday to Tuesday.

Heavy rains will affect some areas of southern Gansu Province, western Sichuan Province, northern and southeastern Chongqing, central and southern Hubei Province, northern and western Guizhou Province, Yunnan Province, coastal regions of southern China, Hainan Province and southeastern Tibet, said the NMC.

Meanwhile, a searing heatwave continues to parch China's southern regions from Sunday to Tuesday, said the NMC.

In the coming three days, high temperature between 35 and 37 degrees Celsius will affect southeastern Sichuan Province, Chongqing Municipality, eastern areas of Guizhou and Hubei provinces, southern areas of Jiangsu and Anhui provinces, most areas in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and the central and northern parts of Guangdong Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The NMC warned a sweltering weather would bake southern Hunan Province, central Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces, and northern Fujian Province from Sunday to Tuesday, with the mercury climbing above 40 degrees Celsius in some areas.

(Xinhua News Agency August 15, 2010)