TAIPEI, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Taiwan Power Company said the island's power usage on Wednesday broke a record set last August amid an ongoing heat wave.

The power consumption peaked at 1:50 p.m. hitting 36.771 million kilowatts, beating the previous record 36.453 million kilowatts recorded on Aug. 15, 2017.

The new record left the island with an operating reserve margin of 3.35 percent, according to the company.

It is also the first peak record registered in May, while all the previous records were set in July or August.

Under the influence of a strong Pacific high pressure system in the area, temperatures shot up to 37 degrees Celsius in Taipei on Wednesday, marking the fourth consecutive day of temperatures above 36 degrees.

The heat wave is expected to ease on Friday.