Key Points

Weather Conditions in Nouvelle-Aquitaine

• Following the widespread, prolonged, and exceptionally severe heat wave that affected the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region and mainland France from June 17 to 28, 2026, a new heat wave has been affecting the population of Nouvelle-Aquitaine since July 5. The weather situation led to an orange heat wave alert being issued on July 6 for seven departments (Charente, Charente-Maritime, Dordogne, Gironde, Landes, Deux-Sèvres, and Lot-et-Garonne) and a yellow alert for the others; On July 7, all departments in the region were placed under an orange heat wave alert. A red heat wave alert was issued on July 10 for the departments of Vienne and Deux-Sèvres, then extended on July 12 to Haute-Vienne, Charente, Corrèze, Creuse, Lot-et-Garonne, and Dordogne. As of July 14, four departments were still under a red heat wave alert (Charente, Dordogne, Corrèze, and Lot-et-Garonne) and eight were under an orange alert.
• This new heat wave, though less intense than the previous one, is nonetheless prolonged and severe and particularly concerning, especially for vulnerable individuals who were already at risk during previous heat waves.

Analysis of syndromic indicators (July 5–13)

•  The use of emergency care for all causes (hospital emergency departments in the Oscour® network and SOS Médecins), across all age groups and among those aged 75 and older, remained within the usual fluctuations for this time of year (with an expected increase over the weekend of July 12–14).
• Activity at SOS Médecins clinics and hospital emergency departments for the iCanicule indicator (hyperthermia, dehydration, and hyponatremia) increased over the period, reaching a level higher than that observed during the May 2026 heat wave and lower than that observed during the June episode. While the number of cases remained moderate, a greater impact was observed among people aged 75 and older.
• In all departments, moderate use of healthcare services was observed for heat-related indicators over the last few days; however, the impact varied, with higher emergency room visits in Corrèze and higher use of SOS Médecins services in Charente-Maritime and Haute-Vienne (this interpretation should be treated with caution due to inconsistent coding across regions).