BEIJING - Meteorological authorities on Friday forecast rainstorms in West China over the next three days, as well as a cold front that will bring temperatures down in North China.

From Friday to Sunday, heavy rain and storms will soak North China and the eastern side of West China, as well as regions along the Yellow and Huai rivers, the National Meteorological Center said Friday.

Northwestern Shaanxi province and northern areas in the Sichuan Basin will be hit hard, with precipitation likely to reach 140 mm, the center said.

Meanwhile, a cold front will bring gales and drop temperatures by up to eight degrees Celsius in the provinces of Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, as well as north and northeast China, from Friday to Sunday, the center said.

The center forecast a foggy morning in Liaoning, Hebei, Jiangsu, Anhui and Henan provinces, the Shandong Peninsula and the municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin on Friday, with visibility reduced to less than 200 meters in some regions.