BEIJING - Heavy rain will sweep across northern China over the next three days, with the National Meteorological Center issuing a yellow alert for rainstorms on Monday.

The center said heavy rain will hit parts of Northwest China, north and northeast of the country and Yunnan province. It added that some areas of Gansu and Shaanxi provinces and Sichuan Basin will see rainfall of 100 to 180 mm from Monday to Tuesday, accompanied by thunderstorms and gales.

The country's weather observatory also warned that a heat wave will scorch areas south of the Yangtze River and South China. Temperatures will climb above 35 degrees Celsius in regions south of the river, the northern parts of South China and Chongqing municipality. The hot weather will last between five and eight days.

China has a four-color-coded warning system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.