China's meteorological authorities said Thursday that mild rain showers will sweep the country's drought-hit regions in the southwest over the next three days.

The southern parts of Sichuan Province and Chongqing Municipality, Guizhou Province, northern parts of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous region, and eastern parts of Yunnan Province will experience light or moderate rains in the next three days, said the National Meteorological Center (NMC).

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, drought had affected 3.23 million hectares throughout Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, Chongqing Municipality and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region as of Monday.

Meanwhile, strong rains will hit most parts of Chongqing Municipality and Hubei Province, southern parts of Hainan Province and western regions in South China, with some areas receiving as much as 80 millimeters of precipitation, the NMC said.