The country had an average temperature of 22 degrees in June, which is 3.8 degrees higher than the average for the period 1991-2020. This year, temperatures rose to 40 degrees in several places in France, the authority said on Friday.
After the heatwave in June, France has recorded a significant excess mortality in the population.
Health authorities say the increase in deaths in the week beginning June 22 - when temperatures peaked - was at least “29.1 percent, equivalent to 2,025 more deaths” compared with the previous week.
The French public health authority notes an increase in the number of deaths among people aged 45 to 64, but also that “people aged 65 or older account for the largest proportion of deaths.”
At the same time, the full number of deaths will not be determined for several weeks.
Already on Sunday, the French public health authority announced that around 1,000 more deaths had been registered in June than in comparable months earlier.
The heat held a tight grip on the country for about ten days in June. Several heat records were recorded.
