Heavy rains forecast in parts of China

China's meteorological authority on Sunday said that heavy rains are forecast for parts of north China and Sichuan Province over the next three days.

Parts of north China, including Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, northeast China, and Sichuan Basin may see torrential rains from Sunday to Tuesday, while Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces will see sweltering weather with temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius, the National Meteorological Center said in an online statement.

The lingering effects of Typhoon Wipha are forecast to bring rainstorms to southern parts of Yunnan Province and south China, the centre added.

Strong tropical storm Francisco is also gaining strength in the Northwest Pacific. It will be moving toward Japan over the next several days and could make landfall there, the center stated.