Key Points

• In early July, France experienced its third heat wave of the season. According to Météo-France, this heat wave—described as severe, intense, and prolonged—began on July 6. It began to subside in the west on July 15, coinciding with the arrival of thunderstorms. As of July 21, a few departments along the Mediterranean coast and Corsica remained under an orange heat wave alert.
• This heat wave, which occurred less than 10 days after the previous one, was less intense in Brittany compared to the one last June (Finistère and Côtes d’Armor did not reach the red alert level).
• A regional analysis of emergency care utilization indicates an increase in the composite health indicator iCanicule (which includes hyperthermia, dehydration, and hyponatremia) during the episode. The number of emergency room visits and SOS Médecins calls for this indicator, as well as the associated shares of activity, reached levels close to those seen during last May’s heat wave. This trend shows greater fluctuations than those observed in previous seasons during heat waves. Changes in the monitored indicators revealed a greater impact in Finistère and Ille-et-Vilaine, as well as among people aged 75 and older.