Key Points 

Weather Situation in Nouvelle-Aquitaine

• An extensive, prolonged, and intense heat wave of exceptional severity affected the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region beginning on June 17, 2026. The weather situation led to an orange heat wave alert being issued on June 19 for seven departments (Vienne, Haute-Vienne, Charente, Corrèze, Creuse, Dordogne, Lot-et-Garonne) and a yellow heat wave alert for the others (Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes, Gironde, Charente-Maritime, and Deux-Sèvres).
• All departments in the region were placed under a red heat wave alert on June 21, 2026. According to Météo France, this heatwave that affected France was exceptionally severe and exceeded that of August 2003 in terms of intensity. Temperatures began to drop along the coast starting on June 26; by June 29, 2026, all departments were under a green heat wave alert.

Analysis of syndromic indicators

• 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, increased slightly but remained within the usual fluctuations for the period. Nevertheless, an increase in hospitalizations for all causes among those aged 75 and older was observed between June 22 and 26, 2026.
• A sharp increase in activity at SOS Médecins clinics and hospital emergency departments for the iCanicule indicator (hyperthermia, dehydration, and hyponatremia) was observed during the alert period across all age groups, though it was particularly pronounced among those aged 75 and older.
• The activity levels for iCanicule recorded in hospital emergency departments and at SOS Médecins locations far exceeded the levels observed during the heat waves of the summers of 2023, 2025 (episodes with a red alert), and 2019, reaching unprecedented levels with more than 1,000 emergency room visits and more than 500 SOS Médecins calls related to iCanicule recorded during week 26 of 2026 (June 22–28).
• All departments were affected by an increase in heat-related indicators; however, the impact varied, with higher emergency room visits in Vienne and a marked increase in calls to SOS Médecins in Haute-Vienne (a cautious interpretation due to inconsistent coding across regions).