(Yicai Global) Aug. 17 -- China's latest heat wave has broken records in central and eastern parts of the country and is expected to continue.

Since July 21, temperatures in 12 provinces or cities of almost 1.1 million square kilometers in central and eastern China have exceeded 40 degrees Celsius with the daily maximum hitting or surpassing record highs in 155 meteorological stations, the National Meteorological Center announced yesterday.

Hot temperatures will continue in certain areas till Aug. 26. The figures are predicted to rise to 35 ℃ or 38 ℃ or even over 40 ℃, the same source added.

The regional heat wave that has continued from June 13 is the strongest in intensity, coverage, and duration since 1961 when the country began to record such data, the center said, citing data from the National Climate Center.

The high temperatures have lasted for 64 days as of Aug. 15, the longest time since 1961. Some 1,680 meteorological stations have logged figures as high as 35 ℃ while 1,426 stations have reported 37 ℃. The number of stations with temperatures above 40 ℃ is the largest ever.

From June 1 to Aug. 15, the nation had 12 days with temperatures exceeding 35 ℃, or over 5 days more than usual. But for some areas, the figure is even higher than 30 days. The provinces of Henan, Jiangsu, Anhui, and Zhejiang logged record high numbers of hot days since 1961.

Editor: Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi