Key Points

• In mainland France, according to Météo-France, the summer of 2022 ranks as the second-hottest summer recorded since the beginning of the 20th century. The 2022 summer monitoring period was marked by three heatwave episodes, two of which placed departments along the Atlantic coast under a red alert, and two successive episodes lasting about a dozen days in the Occitanie, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions. Furthermore, this summer was also marked by other extreme weather phenomena such as drought, wildfires, thunderstorms, and a heatwave in the Mediterranean Sea. Regarding health monitoring, key figures include:

  • An estimated 2,816 excess deaths (+17%) occurred during heatwave periods in departments where biometeorological alert thresholds were exceeded. The summer surveillance period shows the highest excess mortality since the implementation of the National Heat Wave Plan in 2004. People aged 75 and older account for the vast majority of these excess deaths, associated with a high relative excess mortality rate of +20%.

  • 2,060 emergency room visits and 680 SOS Médecins consultations for hyperthermia, dehydration, and hyponatremia (iCanicule indicator) were observed in regions where biometeorological alert thresholds were exceeded this summer.

• Corsica was affected only by the last two national heat waves. The first episode occurred in mid-July and the second in late July/early August 2022. During these heat waves, exceedances of biometeorological alert thresholds were observed only in the department of Haute-Corse. A moderate impact on health was noted during these periods:

  • An estimated 15 excess deaths occurred during the periods when biometeorological alert thresholds were exceeded in the affected departments, representing a relative excess mortality rate of +13%. This excess mortality was primarily observed during the second episode and mainly affected people aged 15 to 74.

  • During the heatwave episodes, 4 SOS Médecins calls for the iCanicule indicator were recorded at the regional level, as well as 69 emergency room visits for the iCanicule indicator, 39 of which were followed by hospitalization. Emergency care visits accounted for up to 1.9% of daily emergency department visits during the first heatwave episode. Although all age groups were affected, emergency department visits primarily involved people aged 15–74 and those aged 75 and older.