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 on 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%), all causes combined, occurred during heatwave periods in departments where biometeorological alert thresholds were exceeded (the relative excess mortality observed in departments under red alert was higher than in other departments). The summer monitoring 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 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.

• Brittany was also affected by three successive heat waves, the first observed in mid-June, the second in July, and the third before mid-August 2022. Exceedances of biometeorological alert thresholds were observed in all four departments during the second episode and in Finistère during the third episode. A significant impact on health was noted during these periods:

  • An estimated 168 excess deaths, all causes combined, occurred during the heat waves in the departments where biometeorological alert thresholds were exceeded, representing a relative excess mortality rate of +20% (primarily during the second episode, with the majority of those affected being aged 75 and older).

  • During the heatwave episodes, 149 SOS Médecins calls were recorded regionally for the iCanicule indicator, as well as 778 emergency room visits for the iCanicule indicator, 482 of which were followed by hospitalization. Emergency care visits accounted for up to 1.0% of daily emergency room visits and 1.9% of daily SOS Médecins calls during the second heatwave episode in July. Although all age groups were affected, emergency room visits primarily involved people aged 75 and older, while SOS Médecins calls primarily involved those aged 15–74.