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ClimateSeverity: High

Heatwaves, drought and wildfire in southern France

Mediterranean France is facing hotter summers, drier soils and a widening wildfire season.

Southern France · France

01 · The problem

What is happening

On 28 June 2019, Météo-France recorded France's highest temperature on record, 46.0°C, at Vérargues in Hérault. The 2003 heatwave caused a very large number of excess deaths in France and prompted a national heatwave plan. In 2022, a severe drought affected much of the country, and large wildfires burned in the Gironde and elsewhere. The IPCC identifies the Mediterranean as a region where warming and drying trends increase fire weather and water stress.

High severity. Serious, widespread effects requiring sustained action. Severity is descriptive editorial metadata summarising documented effects. It is not a measured index or a score.

02 · Causes

Why it is happening

  1. 01

    Mediterranean warming and drying

    Rising temperatures and reduced summer rainfall.

  2. 02

    Heat domes

    Persistent high-pressure systems bring extreme heat.

  3. 03

    Land abandonment

    Reduced grazing and farming allows flammable vegetation to accumulate.

03 · Impacts

Who and what it affects

  1. 01

    Heat-related deaths

    Heatwaves cause excess mortality, especially among older people.

  2. 02

    Wildfires

    Fires threaten forests, homes and tourism.

  3. 03

    Water restrictions and crop losses

    Drought triggers water use limits and harms agriculture.

04 · Solutions

Documented approaches

  1. National heatwave plan

    Alerts, checks on vulnerable people and cooling measures introduced after 2003.

    Expected effectReduces heat mortality.

  2. Wildfire prevention

    Brush clearance obligations and firefighting resources.

    Expected effectReduces fire spread near settlements.

  3. Water management

    Drought plans, efficiency and reuse.

    Expected effectImproves resilience to dry years.

Explore an illustrative What-If

05 · Key indicators

What can be measured

National temperature record
46.0°C2019

Recorded at Vérargues (Hérault) on 28 June 2019 by Météo-France.

06 · Sources

Where this comes from

  1. [1]Météo-FranceMétéo-Francemeteofrance.com(opens in a new tab)
  2. [2]Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and VulnerabilityIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change · Feb 2022ipcc.ch(opens in a new tab)
  3. [3]Copernicus Climate Change ServiceEuropean Commission / ECMWFclimate.copernicus.eu(opens in a new tab)

Links open the publishing organisation's site. Some point to the publisher's main page, where the named report or dataset can be found.

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