Xiangshan Campus of the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou

 
At least 12 cities across China experienced record high temperatures on Monday, with the city of Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang Province hitting 35.1 C, the highest temperature recorded in April in the city in recent years, according to the official Weibo account of the China Meteorological Administration on Monday.

As of 16:30 on Monday, Hefei in East China's Anhui Province hit 33.3 C and Nanjing in East China's Jiangsu Province reached 34 C, the first time that the two cities experienced a temperature of above 30 C this year. 

In Southwest China's Chongqing, the city's temperature reached 35.7 C on Monday, said the meteorological authority.

Other cities including Wuhan in Central China's Hubei Province and Chengdu in Southwest China's Sichuan Province also recorded the highest temperatures since the beginning of this year.

Hangzhou reached a temperature of 34.2 C on April 20, 2004, and 34.8 C on April 26, 2011, according to Hangzhou weather authorities.

Some other cities and counties in Zhejiang province have recorded temperatures above 35 C in previous years. For instance, Anji in Zhejiang hit 35.6 C on April 20 in 2004, while Lin'an recorded 35.9 C on the same day in 2004, according to official data released by the Zhejiang meteorological authorities on Monday. 

Zhejiang meteorological authorities reminded residents to be cautious as rainfall is predicted on Tuesday night and Wednesday. 

Temperatures are expected to be cooler in other regions of China, including most of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northern China and northeastern regions, where the average daily temperature are expected to decrease by 6 to 10 C.