BEIJING (Reuters) - Floods in northern China from June to August are likely to be more severe this year, authorities said on Thursday in an initial forecast for a region spanning densely populated cities to sprawling cropland vital to grain cultivation.

Extreme storms and floods are set to be more frequent and more intense, state broadcaster CCTV cited the water resources ministry as saying.

China is no stranger to summer floods, especially its south. But as global warming picks up pace, the entire country has been roiled by extreme swings from record precipitation to wilting drought, driving mitigation efforts, even in the historically drier north.

(Reporting by Ryan Woo; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)