The current episode of extreme heat began on July 31. This is the third of the year, after those of late June and mid-July. What consequences do these temperatures have on our health? How to adapt? Should we expect hot summers every year? Laëtitia Huiart, scientific director of Public Health France and Olivier Proust, forecasting engineer at Météo France, answered your questions.
How long will this third heat wave last?
“In the west, the scorching temperatures will last until Saturdayi”, explained Olivier Proust on franceinfo. According to him, the west of France will experience high temperatures until Sunday. “Temperatures will cool off from the Atlantic on Sunday. It will then be the east facade that will be hot”, detailed the forecasting engineer from Météo France. The whole country should return to temperatures below 30 ° C from Monday.
Will the heat wave continue? ➡️ “The heat wave will last, on the West until Saturday. The temperatures will cool off from the Atlantic”, explains Olivier Proust, forecaster at Météo France. “We are on the third heat wave.”#WeAnswer pic.twitter.com/Uwp4L47Kkm
— franceinfo (@franceinfo) August 11, 2022
Heat waves: what consequences for health?
“We know that these heat waves increase deaths very quickly“, recalled Laëtitia Huiart, scientific director of Public Health France. “We are in the third wave and it is a phenomenon that started early. Our organisms to all of us are at least a little bit impacted“, added Ms. Huiart.
“What are the warning signs of heatstroke?” asked Olivier, 49, a resident of Le Mans. “You have to be very attentive to all the modifications of the usual behavior, him replied Mrs. Huiart. In case of “gsevere fatigue, difficulty moving, headaches, dizziness, you have to cool down, hydrate and consult a doctor”, she recommends.
Olivier wonders about the warning signs of a heat stroke on the body ➡️ “You have to be attentive to changes in usual behavior: weakness, fatigue, dizziness, dizziness, headaches…”, details Laetitia Huiart from @SantePublicFr #WeAnswer pic.twitter.com/CzY2eVzcp6
— franceinfo (@franceinfo) August 11, 2022
The actions to adopt, recalls Ms. Huiart, are first of all to “drink regularly“. Especially the elderly, who have less perception of thirst. You also have to refresh the place where you live: “Close the shutters, ventilate during cold hours, wet your body with showers or misters. And then, pay attention to others and ask for help when needed“, advises the Scientific Director of Public Health France
What to expect in the next few years?
“Heat waves will increase“, warns Olivier Proust. “Maybe we will have a new definition of heat waves since we could sometimes spend the whole summer in a heat wave according to the current definition” , continues the engineer from Météo France. “It will be sooner and sooner and later and later that we will be too hot. We will probably have to adapt our lifestyles from the end of May to the end of September“warns Mr. Proust.