BEIJING, July 10  -- Heavy rain will sweep parts of southwest China, while the south of the country will bake in a heatwave over the next three days, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said on Thursday.

The weather observatory said rainstorms, accompanied by thunderstorms and gales, will hit parts of Sichuan, Yunnan and Shaanxi provinces on Thursday, with the precipitation expected to reach up to 130 mm.

For Friday and Saturday, the NMC issued a blue alert for rainstorms, forecasting heavy rain in parts of southwest China, areas to the south of the Yangtze River, and regions along the Yangtze and Huaihe rivers.

China has a four-tier color-coded warning system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

The heatwave will affect areas to the south of the Yangtze River, Chongqing, and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region over the next three days, with temperatures expected to reach up to 39 degrees Celsius.