Key Points

• A widespread and very intense heat wave has been affecting mainland France since June 16. The first orange heat wave alert was issued by Météo France on June 18. Since then, the heat wave has spread to all regions of mainland France. In total, 90 departments have been placed under an orange heat wave alert—covering 91% of the population—and 49 of those departments have been placed under a red heat wave alert, covering 52% of the population.
• The heatwave is expected to continue for several more days. It has already been identified as the most severe ever recorded at this time of year. Its intensity could be comparable to the historic heatwaves of July 2019 and August 2003.
• The number of emergency care visits for the iCanicule indicator (including heatstroke, dehydration, and hyponatremia) has been rising since June 16. Between June 18 and 21, between 300 and 450 daily emergency room visits related to the iCanicule indicator, and between 80 and 160 daily SOS Médecins consultations related to iCanicule were recorded. On June 22, the number of emergency care visits related to the iCanicule indicator rose sharply, with more than 650 emergency room visits and 390 SOS Médecins consultations related to the iCanicule indicator (unconsolidated data). The number of emergency care visits recorded for the iCanicule indicator on June 22 approached—and even exceeded, in the case of SOS Médecins consultations—the historic peaks observed during the summers of 2019 and 2025.
• Very significant increases in healthcare utilization for hyperthermia/heatstroke have been observed across all age groups, particularly among those aged 15–44 between June 21 and June 22 (a three- to fourfold increase for emergency room visits and SOS Médecins consultations, respectively).
• The number of hospitalizations following emergency room visits for the iCanicule indicator began to rise on June 18, with between 160 and 220 daily hospitalizations, approximately 60% of which involved people aged 75 and older.