Heatwaves: more than half of the episodes recorded since 1947 have occurred since 2011
Published on 17 June 2026, this ADEME report offers tools for cooling public spaces and workplaces.
On 17 June 2026, ADEME published a set of tools designed to cool public spaces and workplaces, at a time when France was experiencing an exceptionally early heatwave in the spring of 2026.
The episode is part of an accelerating underlying trend. The summer of 2025 was the third hottest recorded in France since measurements began in 1900, with 27 days in heatwave conditions over the summer season alone.
Of the 51 heatwaves recorded since 1947, more than half have occurred since 2011.
The projections point to acting now: in a France at +4.0 °C, heatwaves could occur as early as mid-May and last until the beginning of October, with a probability of occurrence in the height of summer seven to eight times higher than in the reference period.
In urban areas, the heat island effect can intensify during heatwaves, with temperature differences between city and countryside reaching up to +10 °C.
The third National Climate Change Adaptation Plan, launched in March 2025, calls on all stakeholders to build the adaptation reflex into all their decisions.