Public Health France, known as Santé publique France (SPF), reported at least 817 excess deaths between July 27 and August 20, 2026, increasing the total number of excess deaths since June 15 to nearly 8,000. The monitoring period for these figures will continue until September 15, and the final count is expected to rise as more data is collected. The first heatwave of the summer, which occurred in mid-June, was the most deadly, with the hottest summer since 1900 marked by a near-constant sequence of heatwaves. This summer saw an almost unbroken series of heat events, leading to a significant increase in excess deaths, though the exact number is still being determined. The heatwave from July 27 to August 20, the longest recorded in France, resulted in at least 817 excess deaths. These deaths cannot yet be definitively linked to the heat, according to SPF, which released its updated report on September 16. This third heatwave of the summer affected nearly 90% of the population in the Hexagon, the common name for France. While it was less deadly than the previous two heatwaves, it still added to the total number of excess deaths, which includes 5,764 from June 17 to July 2, 1,243 from July 3 to July 20, and 95 from a brief heatwave in May. Guillaume Boulanger, head of the unit for quality of living environments, work, and population health at SPF, noted that the summer of 2026 was "completely unprecedented" with "almost continuous heatwave episodes." Typically, heatwave days account for about 5% of the summer, but this year, the proportion was significantly higher. According to Météo-France, the summer of 2026 was the hottest on record, surpassing the summers of 2003 and 2022, both of which had significant health impacts. Climate change, driven mainly by the burning of fossil fuels, has increased the frequency and intensity of such heatwaves. The majority of the excess deaths occurred among people aged 75 and older, with 751 deaths recorded in this group. Nearly half of the excess deaths were recorded over a three-day period in late July, which was marked by the highest temperatures and the largest geographic coverage. While all regions except Normandy and Occitanie experienced excess mortality, Burgundy-Franche-Comté was the most affected, with 140 excess deaths. The data also showed that about half of the deaths occurred in hospitals, compared to a smaller proportion in nursing homes or at home, though some deaths may have originated in nursing homes or homes before hospitalization. The final report on the 2026 heat periods is expected early in 2027, and the figures have already sparked political debate ahead of the presidential election.