Aims <p>Recent studies have highlighted the importance of plant facilitation in metal-rich environments. Among the positive effects of metallophyte nurse plants, the improvement of microclimatic conditions for neighboring plants has been reported. Here, we aim to assess if plant facilitation persists with the additional stress caused by the extreme drought and heatwave that occurred in 2022 in the northern hemisphere.</p> Methods <p>We conducted four transplant experiments with grass species placing them under nurse plants or in areas where nurse plants have been removed. These experiments were carried out along soil pollution gradients at various sites and elevation in a former mining valley in the French Pyrenees. The first three experiments were conducted in 2020 and 2021, while the fourth was done in 2022. Each year, transplant survival was monitored at the end of the growing season.</p> Results <p>The 2020 and 2021 experiments confirmed the increase of positive interactions as metal-pollution increased, aligning with the Stress Gradient Hypothesis. However, during the extreme year, facilitation disappeared, likely because dominant nurse plants were weakened and no longer influenced neighboring plants.</p> Conclusions <p>Metallophyte species in temperate regions are not necessarily drought-tolerant and are certainly affected by severe drought and heatwaves. This additional intense stress, in habitats already challenged by metal presence in soils, likely compromised their ability to improve micro-climatic conditions for neighboring plants. This collapse of facilitative effects was observed at both low- and high-elevation sites, highlighting the strong impact of such meteorological event in metalliferous ecosystems.</p>