BEIJING - China's meteorological authority said Saturday cloudy and rainy weather will continue to persist in the country's southern regions through next Monday, dragging temperatures down by three to six degrees Celsius.

Parts of Yunnan and Guizhou provinces as well as most areas south to the Yangtze River will see moderate rain or sleet over the next three days, forecast by the National Meteorological Center.

Light snow and snow shower is forecast to fall on parts of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region as well as the provinces of Heilongjiang, Qinghai, Gansu and Sichuan during the same period, according to the center.

The center suggested residents do more physical exercise amid the persistent cloudy and showery weather to prevent colds and other illness.