China's strong heatwaves expected to wane after August 25

The ongoing heatwaves that swept across large parts of China are forecast to wane after August 25, the country's national observatory said on Friday.

The National Meteorological Center predicted that China's southern regions, hardest hit by the heatwaves, might see high temperatures in fewer places and a reduction in intensity on August 26 and August 27.

China on Friday renewed a red alert for high temperatures, the most severe warning in its four-tier weather warning system, marking the eighth successive day of issuing such a warning.

High temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius on the day have scorched some 4.5 million square km, or nearly half of the country's territory, with over 200 local national-level observatories reporting record-high readings.

In the next three days, hot weather is forecast to linger in the southwestern Sichuan Province and sections along the Yangtze River, the national observatory said.