BEIJING -- The average monthly temperature across China reached 21.3 degrees Celsius in June, the hottest June since 1961, the country's top meteorological agency said Tuesday.

The June temperature was 0.9 degrees Celsius higher than usual. Many regions including Central China's Henan province and East China's Shandong province registered the highest June temperature in history, according to the China Meteorological Administration.

Heat waves blanketed parts of China from June 13 to June 26, affecting over 600 million people. A county in North China's Hebei province saw its temperature hit 44.2 degrees Celsius on June 25.

Fang Xiang, deputy director of China's National Meteorological Center, attributed the high June average temperature to the strong warm high which controlled north China's weather during that period.

In July, South China and parts of Southwest China and East China might see lower average temperatures over previous years, while the rest of China might report similar or higher temperatures, according to Fang.