China's top meteorological authority said Friday that rainstorms will continue to batter the country's southern and eastern regions over the weekend after torrential rains recently caused rivers to swell, resulting in several deaths.

Rainstorms are forecast to hit the provinces of Sichuan, Guizhou, and Zhejiang this weekend, the National Meteorological Center said.

The rainy weather continues after two rounds of torrential rains earlier this month inundated the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The same regions suffered severe droughts in May. The rains also triggered floods and landslides in many regions in southern China.

At least one person died and 16 others remain missing after heavy rains inundated a village in Sichuan Province on Thursday, the country's top flood control authority said.

In Guizhou Province's Wangmo County, torrential rains have claimed at least 37 lives and injured 1,715 people since June 3. More than 45,000 of the county's residents have had to abandon their homes because of severe flooding.

Water levels in the middle reaches of east China's Qiantang River rose to their highest levels in more than 50 years after recent rainstorms hit the area. Several rivers in Sichuan, Guangxi, and Guangdong also saw water level increases, which resulted in several floods in the provinces.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said on Friday that it has sent work teams to flood-hit regions to help with relief work.