Rain to hit most regions in China

BEIJING - Weather authorities said Tuesday that rain would hit most parts of China Wednesday, the first day of the country's annual college entrance exam.

There will be light precipitation in most regions except some areas in northern and southwestern China, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said in a statement.

In addition, temperatures will rise sharply in parts of southern China, with a daytime high of over 33 degrees Celsius in some areas, such as Sichuan and Chongqing.

The national observatory on Tuesday continued to issue a blue alert, the lowest in a four-tier weather warning system, for rainstorms in central and southern China.

The country will brace for a new round of rain Thursday, with moderate to heavy rain sweeping from the west to eastern regions, according to the NMC.

Local authorities were asked to prepare by cutting power in high-risk areas and readying for floods and landslides.

Heavy rain pounded central China's Hunan Province from Sunday to Monday, causing landslides and disrupting traffic on expressways. No casualties have been reported so far.

Torrential rain also battered neighboring Guizhou Province over the past two days. A total of 9,433 hectares land for crops in the province has been affected and 178 homes damaged.

Relief goods have been allocated to the affected areas.