A new heatwave begins this Monday (1°) in southeastern France and is moving north on Tuesday (2). Fifteen French departments are already on alert. 19 years ago the country witnessed the worst extreme heat event in the country that left nearly 15,000 dead.

35°C to 40°C during the day and extremely gloomy nights: Just two weeks after a heatwave that lasted for more than ten days, a new era is beginning in the country. According to the meteorological agency Météo France, the peak will be Wednesday (3).

Responsible for the rise in temperatures is an anticyclone from the Azores islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Climate expert Jean-Yves Choplin says the heatwave in the north of the country should end between Thursday (4) and Friday (5), but in the south the warmer weather will stay longer.

According to Météo France, this is the 45th heatwave recorded in the country since 1947. The last, July 12-25, was the third most intense and the fifth longest heatwave to date.

The agency recommends that greater attention be paid to people who may suffer serious consequences from dehydration, such as the elderly, those with chronic illnesses or those with mental health conditions. Extreme heat can also punish athletes and individuals who work out in the sun.

The French government reported on Monday that public safety secretaries had been warned to activate health management plans related to heatwaves. The statement reiterates that “Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne will ensure regular monitoring of the situation”.

15,000 dead in 2003

France also marked the 19th anniversary of the deadliest heatwave ever recorded in the country on Monday. Between 1-20 August 2003, about 15,000 people died, more than 80% of the victims were over 75 years old.

According to Eric Fregona, deputy director of the French Association for the Protection of the Elderly, society has evolved since this tragic event and is better prepared to face rising temperatures. However, in an interview with France Info radio, he says, “We are not calm in the face of this increasing and longer heat.”

In fact, meteorologists predict that in the face of climate change, extreme heat events will become increasingly earlier, longer and more intense. If this phenomenon is not unique to France, the same applies to the rise in mortality of the elderly due to rising temperatures.

Last July 20, Spain announced that more than ten days of heat in the country had killed more than 500 people, most of them elderly. In Portugal, health officials recorded an increase in the death rate of 238 people between 7 and 13 July this year compared to the same period in 2021, likely due to high temperatures in the country.