Heavy rain to hit northern China

BEIJING - Modest to heavy rain will hit Northeast China and North China in the coming three days, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said Sunday.

From Sunday to Tuesday, eastern parts of Northwest China, North China, Northeast China, as well as parts of Southwest China's Sichuan Basin and Yunnan province will see modest to heavy rainfall, with some areas experiencing torrential rain, according to an NMC statement.

Some of these regions will be swept by brief thunderstorms, gusts and hail, the center added.

Meanwhile, Typhoon Utor, which was formed on Saturday morning in the ocean east of the Philippines, is expected to head northwest at an hourly speed of about 20 km, the NMC said.

The typhoon will sweep the Bass Strait and the northeastern and east-central parts of the South China Sea from Monday to Tuesday, packing winds of about 10 to 12 degrees at its eye, the center warned.

The center also forecast persisting heat in eastern and central China and parts of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.