It was only last week. Or at least it felt like a week. June 24th broke every average record in France. Paris hit 41C. Half the country went on red alert. And by the time the week was out? France logged 2,025 more deaths than normal.
A 29% spike.
Health minister Stéphanie R didn’t mince words. There is a “clear increase” in mortality, especially among those over 45, she noted. But the truth is likely worse. Public Health France says that number is an underestimate. It almost always is.
“Mortality will therefore be higher than these initial figures.”
People are swimming, too. And they are dying in the water. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 72 drownings have been recorded since June 18. Desperation looks like jumping into a lake when the air feels like an oven.
This is not an anomaly. It’s a trend line going up. Europe is the fastest-warming continent on the planet. The Copernicus Climate Service says we’re heating up at twice the global average. Twice. That means water stress. More fires. Heatwaves that don’t just annoy you but kill you.
Look at the neighbors. Belgium lost 1,222 people during that same window. That’s 39% above baseline. Nearly half of those victims were 85 or older. Their health ministry called it unprecedented. Can they call anything unprecedented anymore? The Netherlands saw roughly 480 excess deaths last week, mostly folks aged 80+, in the scorched south and east.
The weather systems don’t stop at borders. A high-pressure dome is moving from the Azores, dragging heat toward Portugal, Spain, France, and Southern Britain.
Meanwhile, millions of Americans are blowing up fireworks for July Fourth. They shouldn’t have to. The central and eastern US are already baking in humidity. It’s a global sweatbox.
The Netherlands might get a breather soon. But for France? Not so much. The south is expected to hit 40C again this weekend. Bordeaux, Toulouse, Agen—all looking at peaks around 36-37C.
The heat stays. The body doesn’t always recover.
We’re waiting for the next front.
