Zürcher Nachrichten - 7,300 excess deaths and counting in France's historically hot summer

France has been hit by three summer heatwaves in quick succession: a 14-day spell in June, 16 days in July and another lasting 22 days that began in late July and has yet to be officially declared over as of August 18.

Together they mean the country -- parts of which are ill-equipped to deal with heat, and where air-conditioning is scarce -- has endured a record 52 days of heatwaves since mid-June, according to the AFP analysis.

Sante Public France on Wednesday said it had recorded 1,243 more deaths than usual between July 2 and 22.

That added to the 5,764 excess deaths recorded from June 17 to 30, and 300 deaths identified so far during the year's first period of high temperatures in late May, for a total of 7,307.

Nearly three-quarters of the extra deaths "concern people aged 75 and over", though they affected "all age groups from 45 and over", the health ministry said.

The deaths were due to all causes and cannot yet be definitively attributed to the heat, the agency said. Final figures are expected in the autumn.

The figures came as an AFP analysis of data from the national weather service Meteo-France showed the number of days of heatwaves this year far exceeds the 33 heatwave days recorded in 2022 and the 22 days seen during the deadly summer of 2003.

The country has had only two periods of respite, lasting three and eight days respectively, since the first heatwave began on June 17.

Beyond France, western Europe experienced its hottest start to summer on record, with recurring heatwaves in June and July causing widespread drought and devastating wildfires fuelled by global warming.

- Second longest recorded heatwave -

France has recorded more heatwave days in 2026 than in any other year since records began in 1947.

The previous standout year, 2022, also saw three separate heatwaves, but their combined duration was almost 20 days shorter than this year's total.

Extreme heat contributed to more than 15,000 deaths in France in 2003, but the main heatwave was concentrated over about two weeks in August, following a less severe week-long episode in June.

The August 2003 heatwave nevertheless remains the most severe observed to date -- based on an indicator combining heat duration and intensity.

But 2026 has set another milestone, with June 24 and 25 the hottest days ever recorded on average across mainland France, according to the national temperature indicator, which combines daytime and nighttime readings from 30 reference weather stations.

The indicator reached 30C, surpassing the previous record set in 2003.

The heatwave that began in late July has meanwhile become the second-longest recorded nationwide.

At 22 days and counting, it is just short of the 23-day heatwave recorded in July 1983.

More than half of the 54 heatwaves France has experienced since 1947 have occurred since 2010.

Meteo-France defines a national heatwave as a period lasting several days during which temperatures are significantly higher than normal.

A heatwave begins when the indicator reaches or exceeds 25.3C for one day and the national average temperature remains at or above 23.4C for at least three consecutive days.

It ends when it drops below 23.4C for at least three days in a row or falls briefly below 22.4C.

A spell of unusually warm weather in May, for example, was not intense enough to meet France's threshold for a heatwave.

I.Widmer--NZN