BEIJING - Heavy rains and storms are forecast to hit southern regions of China on Tuesday, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said.

The national weather observatory said heavy rains will hit areas in Chongqing Municipality and Guizhou province in the southwest of the country. Hunan province, in particular, will suffer storms that are likely to bring up to 160 millimeters of rain, according to the NMC.

The center said the cold front moving south is expected to alleviate the baking temperatures that have hit the southern regions in previous days.

However, it warned that measures should be taken to guard against flooding and landslides, which are likely to be caused by the weather.

The NMC also forecasts that storms will hit most parts of Taiwan on Thursday.