While the country's southern regions are in the midst of their warmest period of the year, a new round of heavy rain is expected to fall over the north.

China's National Meteorological Center renewed its orange alert for high temperatures in the south, saying they would reach between 35 and 37 degrees Celsius in Sichuan, Guizhou and Jiangsu provinces and they could even reach 40 in some places.

However, the center issued a code blue for northern regions. A band of rain is moving eastwards towards North and North-east China, which includes the capital city, Beijing. Authorities warn that precipitation may be as high as 70 millimetres, which will cause more intense flooding in many areas.