In the next 10 days, the heat wave will continue in most parts of South China while rainstorms will hit the northeast, a senior official from the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) predicted yesterday.

The total amount of precipitation in the southwest and northwest will reach at least 50 mm with more than 120 mm in Sichuan Basin, said Chen Zhenlin, a spokesman for the CMA.

People in Shandong, Henan, Hubei and Anhui provinces should prepare for floods, landslides and mudflows due to heavy rain, Chen said, adding that heat will worsen the drought in Inner Mongolia.

From July 26 to 27, severe floods and mudflows caused by rainstorms claimed 19 lives, with 10 missing and 38 injured in Panzhihua, Sichuan province.

Extreme weather like torrential rains and heat were frequent in July with precipitation records broken in 61 monitoring stations around the country. Sichuan, Zhejiang and Hunan reached more than 40 C.

In August, thunderstorms, hail and cyclones are likely to continue and officials should make preparations to avoid casualties and economic losses, Chen said.

(China Daily August 4, 2009)