Cold weather would bring rain to China's drought-hit southwest areas in the next two days, but the prolonged dry spell was forecasted to linger, said the National Meteorological Center(NMC) Monday.

Moderate to light rains would sweep most parts of Yunnan Province, the southern areas in Guizhou Province, the southern part of the plateau in western Sichuan Province, and northwestern areas in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, said the NMC.

Temperatures would drop by 6 to 8 degrees Celsius in the nation's northwest areas, including the northern parts in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Shaanxi Province, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and the west areas in north China, with temperatures in some areas falling more than 10 degrees Celsius, according to the NMC.

A severe drought has plagued southwestern China since autumn last year, causing drinking water shortage, crop damage and economic losses.