BEIJING - China's meteorological authorities forecast on Tuesday that rains will sweep most regions in the country's southwest over the next three days.

Southern parts of Sichuan province, western and northern parts of Yunnan province will experience heavy rainfalls, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said on its website.

Central eastern parts of Hainan province will see rainstorms, with some regions receiving up to 120 millimeters of precipitation, the NMC said.

Rains will also hit the south-central parts of Gansu province, the NMC said.

Meanwhile, a cold front will continue to affect areas south of the Yangtze River, dropping temperatures in the region and bringing gales to the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea, the NMC added.

The southwestern drought-hit regions will see light rains, with eastern parts of Guizhou province and northwestern parts of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region receiving precipitation of less than 5 millimeters, the NMC said.

A severe and persistent drought, which started in June, has left more than 12.6 million people short of drinking water and parched huge tracts of farmland in the country's southwestern regions.