France Faces Historically Hot Summer: Over 7,300 Excess Deaths
Health agency Santé Publique France reports 7,307 excess deaths during this year's heatwaves, with a record number of hot days since mid-June.
Health agency Santé Publique France reports 7,307 excess deaths during this year's heatwaves, with a record number of hot days since mid-June.
France has recorded more than 7,300 excess deaths during heatwaves since the start of the year, the French health agency Santé Publique France reported on Wednesday. At the same time, the country has experienced a record number of hot days since mid-June, according to an analysis by the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency.
France has been hit by three heatwaves in quick succession this summer: the first lasted 14 days in June, the second 16 days in July, and the third, which began in late July, has already lasted 22 days and had not been officially declared over as of Tuesday. Together, these waves have brought a record 52 days of heatwaves since mid-June, according to the AFP analysis.
Parts of France are poorly equipped to cope with the heat, with air conditioning being a rarity. An AFP photo from July 29 shows a woman in Paris turning on a fan in her apartment's bedroom on a hot day.
An analysis of data from the national meteorological service Météo-France shows that this year's number of heatwave days far exceeds the 33 days recorded in 2022 and the 22 days during the deadly summer of 2003. Since the start of the first heatwave on June 17, the country has had only two respite periods, lasting three and eight days respectively.
France has recorded more heatwave days this year than in any other year since records began in 1947. The previous record year, 2022, also had three separate heatwaves, but their total duration was nearly 20 days shorter than this year's.
Extreme heat contributed to more than 15,000 deaths in France in 2003, but the main heatwave then was concentrated over roughly two weeks in August, following a less intense week-long period in June. The August 2003 heatwave remains the most severe on record.
Santé Publique France reported on Wednesday that between July 2 and July 22, there were 1,243 more deaths than usual. This number adds to the 5,764 excess deaths recorded from June 17 to June 30, and the 300 deaths identified during the first period of high temperatures in late May, bringing the total to 7,307 excess deaths.
Nearly three-quarters of the additional deaths were among people aged 75 and older, although all age groups from 45 upward were affected, the health ministry said. The agency stressed that the deaths were due to various causes and cannot yet be definitively attributed to the heat. Final figures are expected in the autumn.
Outside France, Western Europe experienced its hottest start to summer on record, with recurring heatwaves in June and July causing widespread drought and devastating wildfires fueled by human-induced climate change.
Although the data has no direct connection to Croatia, the situation in France serves as a warning of the serious health consequences of climate change. Increasingly frequent and longer heatwaves represent a growing public health challenge for many European countries, including the Mediterranean region.
