Heavy draws on the national power grid caused cuts and prolonged interruptions in electricity supplies as the capital braced for the opposite of challenges faced by countries in the north of the western hemisphere, buffeted by cold spells and snow drifts.

Officials said they couldn't predict how long the heat wave would last.

Residents reported a run on fuels as families, factories and shops scrambled to maintain electricity supplies with backup power generation systems.

Angry inhabitants of metropolitan Buenos Aires, home to about one-quarter of Argentina's 40 million people, demanded urgent relief measures but public services were already stretched to the limit as the scorching heat swept through the capital and environs.

Distress calls from Argentina's outlying provinces spoke of merchandise losses due to power cuts that hit refrigeration. Peak temperatures reached 97 degrees Fahrenheit.

The National Meteorological Service warned residents to expect the heat wave to last through the week.

"We ask the population to avoid as much as possible exposing themselves to sun rays and to drink a lot of water," Argentine Health Minister Juan Manzur said. But water supplies were disrupted in some neighborhoods because of the power cuts.

Meteorologists said Argentina might be facing La Nina climatic phenomenon that would likely prolong the current drought around the capital and the provinces.

La Nina causes mostly the opposite effects of El Nino. If El Nino causes a wet period in a region, La Nina potentially can lead to a dry period, sometimes soon afterward.

Scientists told news media the developing La Nina phenomenon in Argentina and neighboring regions in the Atlantic could last through early 2011.

Authorities asked residents to prepare for more power cuts. Consumer groups in Buenos Aires said more than one-third of households in several neighborhoods of the capital suffered blackouts or diminished power supplies.

Automobile traffic chaos became endemic throughout the capital as signaling systems broke down with the outages.

There was a run on gasoline refueling pumps as residents bought more fuel than they needed to as an emergency measure. Frenzied fuel buying also occurred as residents tried to leave town to join friends and family members in other parts of the country during the New Year holidays.

Consumer groups told residents to prepare for the worst, as businesses and government departments shut down before the New Year break.

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