Heavy rains lash southern and central China

Torrential rains have been lashing southern and central China since the end of last month, soaking roads and drenching houses. And the National Meteorological Center says the bad weather is likely to continue in parts of the region in the next few days.

Heavy rainstorms blackened the sky over cities including Huaihua, Zhangjiajie and Changde in China's central Hunan province over the weekend.

Strong wind and thunderstorms combined with rain also hit parts of the province, disrupting traffic and wrecking telecommunication facilities.

And in the southern province of Guangdong, the cities of Yangjiang and Jiangmen were hit on Friday and Saturday by extreme rainstorms rarely seen in almost five decades. Three students were reported missing.

Water accumulation in some villages of Guangdong has reached over 80 centimeters in depth.

The National Meteorological Center forecasts that rainstorm in Guangdong is likely to weaken, as the current that triggered the bad weather is moving northwards.

But the Center says that other parts of China including Guizhou, Hubei,Guangxi and Jiangxi may experience heavy rain in the coming days.

It also warns that the expected downpours could cause flooding, mudflows and landslides.