A severe rainstorm killed four villagers in Fengxian county, Jiangsu province. According to the local meteorological bureau four cities and counties in Jiangsu received precipitation of more than 25 mms by 5am Sunday as thunderstorms swept the province on the weekends.

The heavy rain is predicted to continue until July 2. The National Meteorological Center (NMC) issued an ‘orange’ rainstorm alert around 6pm yesterday. A new wave of stronger and continuing rainfalls are expected in east China and the middle-lower Yangtze Plain.

While south and east China is busy fighting against floods and rainstorms, the nation’s northern part is currently suffering from severe heat waves. The temperature remained a steady 37 degrees C in the capital, Beijing, over the past week.

In some regions of Hebei province, the temperature reached 40 degrees C. Other regions and provinces experiencing extreme hot weather include: Shanxi, Hubei, Xinjiang and Anhui.

NMC also gave out an ‘orange’ alert for heat wave conditions in 17 municipalities and provinces. The alert was raised to a ‘red’ level in some provinces, which is NMC’s highest.