Northern Italy’s renowned rice-growing heartland is facing a severe drought, with farmers in Pavia province warning that drinking rivers, depleted reservoirs and persistent heat are leaving the paddy fields too dry to even sustain crops. With irrigation water becoming scarce, weeds are rapidly taking over the parched fields, raising fears of lower yields in one of Europe’s major rice-producing regions.

Several waterways in northern Italy are in a "critical state" due to drought, and the weather forecast bodes ill for the coming days, the Po River Authority (ADBPO) said Friday.

Summer came too early to Europe's most important rice growing region and weeds are taking over Sharon Angoli's parched paddies in Italy's Pavia province.