Historic 11-day heatwave ends across France, leaving over 1,000 excess deaths and strained emergency services

End of the historic heatwave

After 11 days of suffocating temperatures, France's record-breaking heatwave is drawing to a close. On Monday 29 June, no department will remain under red heat alert, down from a peak of 72 on Thursday. Météo France will keep 22 departments on orange alert for heat, mainly in the Paris basin, the east and the southeast. Temperatures will still reach 34–37°C along the Mediterranean and in Corsica, hitting 40°C in the Var. The heatwave's retreat, however, is accompanied by violent storms. A further 19 departments are under orange alert for thunderstorms from the Allier and Cantal to the Vosges and Territoire de Belfort.

Human toll mounts

The health cost is already severe. The World Health Organization reported on Sunday that more than 1,300 deaths across Europe are attributable to the heatwave. In France, Santé publique France has recorded "around 1,000 additional deaths" since Wednesday compared to previous months, with home deaths up by 40%. The toll is expected to rise.

“Effectively there is excess mortality linked to the heatwave, it's obvious.”

The interior minister acknowledged the link, while Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu's services warned that the health effects "remain ahead of us."

Health services under persistent strain

Emergency rooms across the country remain exceptionally busy. The Paris public hospital group (AP-HP) reported an "exceptionally high" level of emergency activity since the end of the week, although the past 24 hours saw a 10% drop in ER visits and a 9% fall in SAMU calls. Despite the slight respite, volumes are still far above normal. Since 18 June, rescue interventions have risen 20% year-on-year, according to Nuñez. Health professionals describe a "delayed effect" on already exhausted organisms, with symptoms appearing days after temperatures drop. Several hospitals maintain their white plans.

Storms, power cuts, and fire risk

The cooler air mass triggered intense storms. By early afternoon Sunday, 36,000 homes were without electricity, mainly in the Nord and Aisne departments where lightning caused multiple fires. In Normandy, a tornado struck the Eure department on Saturday evening, capping a week of shattered temperature records. The final day of the Garorock music festival in Marmande (Lot-et-Garonne) was cancelled as a precaution. Meanwhile, the Loire-Atlantique prefecture, while lifting the red alert, urged residents not to relax vigilance given persistent wildfire risk from parched soils.

Agricultural and livestock hit

The extreme heat also caused massive mortality in livestock farming, with poultry, pigs and cattle among the hardest hit, according to reports. Water restrictions remain in force across several catchment areas.