Droughts forecast to scorch most of China, weather service says

High temperatures have led to droughts in most parts of China over the past few days and are forecast to continue, according to the China Meteorological Administration and its local meteorological services.

A high temperature near 40 C hit the Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Monday and temperatures reached around 39 C in the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Jilin, Liaoning and in Beijing municipality, according to the administration.

The administration forecast over the weekend that in June, high temperatures will scorch most parts of China for more days than the same period during normal years. 

According to the weather service with the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, droughts are expanding in the area and by Friday, more than 40 percent of the region's land area has been caught in drought.

The Henan climate center issued an orange alert for drought on Saturday, the second-highest level of the ranking, saying droughts have covered 60 percent of the province's land area.

The administration urged residents to pay attention to hot weather warnings and take precautions to stay away from disasters caused by heat.

According to the administration, while heat waves are hitting the north, heavy rainfalls are battering South China. 

Since Friday, rainstorms began to sweep across the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday that heavy rain caused mudslides and houses to collapse in the region's Tianlin county. In its Yongfu county, precipitation reached 396 millimeters on Monday and floods inundated crops.