Tourists enjoy the coolness at the No. 1 bathing beach in Qingdao City, east China's Shandong Province, Aug. 5, 2013. As the scorching weather continues in recent days, tourists and citizens swarm into bathing beaches in Qingdao. [Photo: Xinhua/Li Ziheng]

High temperatures are expected to continue to plague most parts of south China in the coming days, according to forecasters.

The China Central Meteorological Center says high temperatures are reaching severe levels, with the hottest days to hit China's south. The region may experience high temperatures above 37 degrees Celsius, whilst 7 provinces and municipalities including Hunan, Hubei and Chongqing may experience temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius.

Since July, a summer heatwave has been sweeping across south China, and the China Central Meteorological Center has continued to issue a high temperature alert for 12 days.

However, rainstorms will hit China's Sichuan province and some parts of Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. The average rainfall in Sichuan is expected to be around 200-300 millimeters.

According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, a severe drought since June has affected 5,948,000 people in about 13 provinces and municipalities including Guizhou, Hunan and Chongqing; over 4 million people are in need of aid.