Historic flooding in southern China kills 47

At least 47 people have died as downpours in southern China's Guangdong province caused historic flooding and slides, while authorities warn of more flooding ahead in other parts of the country.

State broadcaster CCTV said on Friday that another 38 people were confirmed dead in the jurisdiction of Meizhou city, adding to nine others previously reported dead elsewhere in Meizhou.

Heavy rains caused landslides, floods and mudslides that severely damaged eight townships in Pingyuan County, where the latest deaths were reported, CCTV said.

The previous day, CCTV reported four deaths in Meizhou's Meixian district, and five in Jiaoling County.

The heaviest rains were from Sunday into Tuesday, toppling trees and collapsing homes. A road leading to Meixian district completely collapsed during the heavy rains.

The Songyuan river, which winds through Meizhou, experienced its biggest recorded flood, according to CCTV.

The estimated direct economic loss is 3.65 billion yuan ($A755 million) in Jiaoling county, while in Meixian district, the loss is 1.06 billion yuan.

Other parts of the country also face torrential rains and extreme weather in the next 24 hours, with the National Meteorological Centre issuing a warning for several provinces in the south and a few individual places in the north.

Henan and Anhui provinces in central China, as well as Jiangsu province on the coast and the southern province of Guizhou, are expecting hail and strong thunderstorms.

Rainfall could be as high as 50mm to 80mm in one day in Henan, Anhui and Hubei provinces.

Last week, southern Fujian and Guangxi provinces experienced landslides and flooding amid heavy rain.

One student died in Guangxi after falling into a river swollen from the downpour.