BEIJING - Most of China's southern areas will see torrential rain in the next three days, with gales in some regions, the country's meteorological authorities said Saturday.

A rainbelt is expected to move from southwest China's Tibet autonomous region to the country's east coast, crossing areas between the Yangtze and Pearl rivers and affecting most of the south China in the next 72 hours, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) forecast.

Some areas will experience thunderstorms, with strong winds, and precipitation hitting 80 mm, the NMC said.x Meanwhile a fresh wave of cold air will sweep across the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, most of the north China and areas along the Yellow and Huai rivers, bringing down temperatures by up to 8 degrees Celsius and causing strong winds.