熱浪炙烤美國(guó)西部，加州自2001年以來(lái)首次實(shí)行輪流停電

熱浪炙烤美國(guó)西部，加州自2001年以來(lái)首次實(shí)行輪流停電

The sun sets through smoke created by the Ranch Fire this week in Azusa, Calif. The heat wave will likely hinder firefighting efforts, but at least the strong winds that fuel wildfires are not expected.

本周，太陽(yáng)從加利福尼亞州阿祖薩的農(nóng)場(chǎng)大火產(chǎn)生的煙霧中落下。熱浪可能會(huì)阻礙滅火工作，但至少不會(huì)引發(fā)助長(zhǎng)野火的強(qiáng)風(fēng)。

California electricity providers instituted rolling blackouts Friday night — the first since 2001 — as an intense and prolonged heat wave settled over much of the Western U.S.

隨著一股強(qiáng)烈而持久的熱浪席卷美國(guó)西部大部分地區(qū)，加州電力供應(yīng)商在周五晚上開(kāi)始實(shí)施輪流停電，這是自2001年以來(lái)的第一次輪流停電。

Hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have experienced brief power outages through the evening, after the body that manages most of the state's electric utilities declared a Stage 3 emergency to help reduce stress on the larger grid.

據(jù)信，在管理該州大部分電力設(shè)施的機(jī)構(gòu)宣布進(jìn)入三級(jí)緊急狀態(tài)，以幫助減輕大電網(wǎng)的壓力后，數(shù)十萬(wàn)人在整個(gè)晚上經(jīng)歷了短暫的停電。

Electricity demand surged through the day as temperatures topped the triple digits in many parts of the state and people cranked up fans and air-conditioning units to try to stay cool.

由于該州許多地區(qū)的氣溫超過(guò)三位數(shù)，人們打開(kāi)電扇和空調(diào)來(lái)降溫，電力需求一整天都在飆升。

The emergency order was rescinded before midnight and power was fully restored to all affected households, the California Independent System Operator said in a tweet.

加州獨(dú)立電力系統(tǒng)運(yùn)營(yíng)商在推特上表示，緊急命令在午夜前被撤銷，所有受影響家庭的電力已經(jīng)完全恢復(fù)。

Still, demand for electricity is expected to remain high through the weekend and well into next week. The heat wave blanketing much of California and other parts of the Western U.S. is expected to persist until at least Thursday, with many places expected to see record high maximum and minimum temperatures, according to the National Weather Service. The forecast raises questions about future electricity demand and the potential for more blackouts.

不過(guò)，電力需求預(yù)計(jì)將在本周末一直居高不下，直至下周。據(jù)美國(guó)國(guó)家氣象局稱，席卷加州大部分地區(qū)和美國(guó)西部其他地區(qū)的熱浪預(yù)計(jì)將至少持續(xù)到周四，許多地方的最高和最低氣溫預(yù)計(jì)將創(chuàng)歷史新高。這一預(yù)測(cè)引發(fā)了人們對(duì)未來(lái)電力需求和可能發(fā)生的更多停電的疑問(wèn)。

Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at University of California, Los Angeles, says the heat wave could be the worst in more than a decade.

加州大學(xué)洛杉磯分校的氣候科學(xué)家丹尼爾·斯溫說(shuō)，這次熱浪可能是十多年來(lái)最嚴(yán)重的一次。

Extreme heat is a silent killer, responsible for more deaths than any other natural disaster. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that heat killsmore than 600 people in the U.S. every year.

極端高溫是一個(gè)無(wú)聲的殺手，造成的死亡人數(shù)比其他任何自然災(zāi)害都要多。美國(guó)疾病控制和預(yù)防中心估計(jì)，美國(guó)每年有600多人死于高溫。

However, a recent study by researchers at Boston University and the University of British Columbia in Canada suggests the number may actually be far higher — possibly as high as 5,600 annually — with even moderate heat waves increasing the number of deaths.

然而，波士頓大學(xué)和加拿大英屬哥倫比亞大學(xué)的研究人員最近的一項(xiàng)研究表明，實(shí)際死亡人數(shù)可能要高得多，可能高達(dá)每年5600人，即使是中等程度的熱浪也會(huì)增加死亡人數(shù)。

Climate change is making heat waves more frequent and more intense in the Western U.S., scientists say, and it's doing the same to wildfires.

科學(xué)家稱，氣候變化使得美國(guó)西部的熱浪更加頻繁和強(qiáng)烈，野火也更加頻繁和強(qiáng)烈。

Fire season is just beginning in California, with more than dozen blazes burning through the state. The heat wave won't help firefighting efforts, and there are concerns it could dry out vegetation in other parts of the West, setting the stage for future fires. Fortunately, strong winds — a chief driver of California's recent deadly fires — are not forecast in the coming week. But that also means that unhealthy air and higher-than-normal humidity are likely to remain in parts of the state.

加州的火災(zāi)季節(jié)才剛剛開(kāi)始，全州有十幾起大火在燃燒。熱浪無(wú)助于消防工作，人們擔(dān)心熱浪會(huì)使西部其他地區(qū)的植被干枯，為未來(lái)的火災(zāi)埋下隱患。幸運(yùn)的是，預(yù)計(jì)未來(lái)一周不會(huì)有強(qiáng)風(fēng)(強(qiáng)風(fēng)是加州最近致命火災(zāi)的主要誘因)。但這也意味著危險(xiǎn)的空氣和高于正常濕度的空氣很可能會(huì)存在于該州的部分地區(qū)。