Beijing, Jun 22 (IANS): China's National Meteorological Centre issued a yellow alert for high temperatures on Thursday, as heat waves are forecast to scorch vast regions of the country.

During daylight hours on Thursday, temperatures in parts of Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Fujian and Hainan are expected to hit 35 to 37 degrees Celsius, Xinhua news agency quoted the Centre as saying.

According to the forecast, temperatures in some of these regions will even exceed 40 degrees Celsius.

The meteorological centre advised avoiding outdoor activities during high-temperature periods in the afternoon and suggested that workers exposed to high temperatures adopt necessary protective measures.

Since March, temperatures in dozens of Chinese cities have hit record highs.

China experienced its worst heat wave and drought in decades during the summer of 2022, which caused widespread power shortages and disrupted food and industrial supply chains.