Throughout Europe, record temperatures in June have so far not been matched in July, although temperatures are gradually creeping back up and may yet threaten this year's wine harvest, weather services and industry officials said.

Governors in the Piedmont and Emilia-Romagna regions -- Italy's industrial and agricultural heartland -- have already asked for state help and their counterparts in the nearby Lombardy and Venice regions were planning to do the same.

"Water supplies are guaranteed until the end of the month; but if it doesn't rain we'll have to decide what our priorities are -- agriculture or industry," Italy's civil protection chief, Guido Bertolaso warned Sunday.

Italians in the affected areas have been asked to reduce consumption of water and electricity.

The Po, which drains most of northern Italy, fell to a record 7.58 metres (over 24 feet) below its normal level at the weekend. The region accounts for some 35 percent of Italy's agricultural production.

The river normally carries up to 1,200 cubic meters of water a second but has been seen to swell up to 3,000 cubic meters. On Sunday it carried no more than 350 cubic meters of water a second.

Ostiglia power station, also in northern Italy, has been forced to shut down due to a lack of water to cool its turbines.

The bishop of the northern Italian town of Rovigo, Andrea Bruno Mazzocato, has called on the faithful to pray for rain, and on Sunday night it rained -- with Rovigo getting above the average rainfall for the district, though still not enough to provide real relief.

In the Venice area, which is among the worst hit by the drought, rainfalls amounted to 40 percent less in the first six months of 2003 than the average rain recorded in the same period over the last 30 years.

Drought concerns have spread to Aurillac in southcentral France, where local authorities have begun to voice concern over the "Eclat" street-theatre festival due to be held in August.

The usual influx of over 30,000 tourists would put an unacceptable strain on resources given the current lack of water, and so the local mayor has planned emergency measures if the skies do not darken soon.

The hot weather also means an increased possibility of hail storms -- capable of wiping out hectares of vines.

In the southeastern French Rhone-Alpes region, the harvest is expected to begin exceptionally early, on August 20, after an inordinate amount of sunshine.

Unseasonal heat in Switzerland brought joy to those attending the Montreux Jazz Festival, but has been blamed for several drownings in Swiss lakes as crowds flock to bathe.

It is thought the ambiant temperature difference between the hot air and cool Alpine waters may be to blame.

Meanwhile, hot temperatures in Belgium have thankfully been accompanied by the usual levels of rainfall.

A heat wave hit record levels in June in Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain and some parts of the Balkans.

TERRA.WIRE