Table 1.

Climate and mortality characteristics during the three periods analyzed (mean ± SD).

Period	MST (°C)	MWT (°C)	Heat-wave days	Cold-spell days	MMT (°C)	Days > MMT days	RM25	RM25/18
P1: 1968–1981	17.6 ± 1.4	4.2 ± 1.8	6.8 ± 6.0	8.2 ± 2.4	17.5 ± 1.4	825 ± 228	1.19 ± 0.13	1.18 ± 0.12
P2: 1982–1995	18.6 ± 1.5	4.6 ± 1.8	5.8 ± 4.0	22.6 ± 3.5	17.8 ± 1.5	962 ± 243	1.15 ± 0.09	1.16 ± 0.08
P3: 1996–2009	19.2 ± 1.5	5.0 ± 1.7	16.7 ± 5.5	8.6 ± 2.9	18.2 ± 1.6	994 ± 262	1.14 ± 0.09	1.15 ± 0.08
Abbreviations: MMT, minimum mortality temperature; days > MMT, at a given period, sum on all squares of the number of days observed with a temperature above the MMT of the square at the given period; RM25, ratio of mortality at 25°C/mortality at MMT; RM25/18, ratio of mortality at 25°C/mortality at 18°C. Results were computed in the 211 squares with > 7,500 deaths and a U/J-shaped curve for all three periods. Mean summer temperature (MST) and mean winter temperature (MWT), respectively, are the mean temperatures observed during the months of June–August and December–February of the period considered.