BEIJING, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Rain will hit many parts of southern and western China in the next three days, the national observatory forecasted Wednesday.

Many southern and western regions, including Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Tibet Autonomous Region and the provinces of Yunnan, Sichuan and Guizhou, will see moderate to heavy rain from Wednesday to Thursday, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said.

The NMC forecasted thunderstorms and strong winds in some of these areas.

Rainfall is also expected in some parts of northern China from Thursday to Saturday, according to the NMC.

The observatory also warned of possible natural disasters brought by the rain.