BEIJING - China's meteorological authority said Sunday rains will linger in northern China while high temperatures are expected to continue in the south over the next three days.

Rains pelted parts of northern China on Sunday, including Gansu province and Inner Mongolia autonomous region, which helped ease the scorching heat in the areas, the National Meteorological Center said in a statement on its website.

Temperatures in the rain-hit areas were lower than 30 degrees Celsius at 2 pm Sunday, the statement added.

Strong rains are forecast for parts of northeastern China, northern China, Sichuan Basin and Shandong Peninsula as well as areas along the Yellow River and Huaihe Rivers in the coming three days.

However, sizzling heat will continue to grip most parts of the country's southern regions over the next three days as a strong subtropical high pressure is expected to remain parked above the areas.

The statement said temperatures in the eastern part of Southwest China, areas along the Yangtze River and Huaihe River and central regions of Shaanxi province will reach at least 35 degrees Celsius, while areas of Sichuan Basin, Chongqing municipality and South China will experience temperatures as high as 38 to 39 degrees Celsius over the next three days.