Wild Weather

Wild Weather Written by Chris Oxlade

《极端天气》 作者：克里斯·奥克斯莱德

What is Wild Weather? Wild weather is weather that is very windy, cold, hot, wet or dry. What's the wildest weather you've ever seen? Have you been blown about by super strong winds? Have you been soaked to the skin by pouring rain? Have you heard thunder crashing right above your head? The weather is sometimes so wild that it's better to stay indoors to keep safe. Floods, lightning, strong winds, hurricanes and tornadoes can often kill or injure people, destroy homes or sink ships.

什么是极端天气？ 极端天气指的是大风、严寒、酷暑、暴雨或者干旱这类反常的天气。 你见过的最极端的天气是什么样的呀？ 你有没有被超级大风吹得站不稳过？ 有没有被瓢泼大雨淋得浑身湿透？ 有没有听过头顶炸响的轰隆隆的雷声？ 有时候天气实在太恶劣了，最好待在室内保证安全。 洪水、闪电、强风、飓风和龙卷风经常会造成人员伤亡，毁坏房屋，甚至掀翻船只。

This book will take you on a journey around the earth to see some of its wildest weather, finding out why it happens and where it takes place. We'll start with the coldest places of all, Antarctica and the Arctic.

这本书将带你环游地球，见识世界各地最极端的天气， 了解它们形成的原因和出现的地点。 我们首先从地球上最冷的地方开始：南极和北极。

Coldest and snowiest. Even in the middle of summer, people in Antarctica and the Arctic have to wear a thick coat, hat and gloves. During winter, the temperature in Antarctica can fall as low as minus 80 degrees Celsius. It's almost as cold in the Arctic, around minus 65 degrees Celsius in the winter. In the Antarctic summer, the sun never sets. Even so, the temperature stays below freezing point, 0 degrees Celsius. And the ground is always covered with snow and ice. Frostbite. These freezing temperatures are cold enough to make uncovered fingers, toes and noses freeze within minutes, which can cause frostbite. This can damage skin and in extreme cases, it can turn black and die.

最冷、雪最多的地方 就算是盛夏时节，南极和北极的人也得穿厚外套、戴帽子和手套。 到了冬天，南极的温度最低能降到零下80摄氏度。 北极也差不多冷，冬天的温度大概在零下65摄氏度左右。 南极的夏天太阳不会落山，就算这样，温度还是低于0摄氏度的冰点。 地面也永远被冰雪覆盖着。 冻伤 这么低的温度，露在外面的手指、脚趾和鼻子几分钟就会被冻僵，造成冻伤。 冻伤会损伤皮肤，极端情况下皮肤还会发黑坏死。

Arctic, Antarctica Emperor penguins live on the ice in Antarctica. Cold record In 1983, scientists at the Russian Vostok station in Antarctica recorded a temperature of minus 89 .2 degrees Celsius. That's the coldest temperature ever known on Earth.

北极，南极 帝企鹅就生活在南极的冰面上。 最低气温纪录 1983年，俄罗斯沃斯托克南极科考站的科学家测到了零下89.2摄氏度的气温。 这是人类已知的地球最低气温。

Blizzards It's very cold in other places too. In Canada, just south of the Arctic, the temperature can fall to minus 40 degrees Celsius in winter. A mixture of snow and wind creates another type of wild weather, called a blizzard. During a blizzard, snow can reach a depth of more than a metre in just a few hours. This means that it quickly blocks roads, railways and airport runways. It can also pull down power lines and bury cars.

暴风雪 其他地方也有非常冷的时候。 在北极南边的加拿大，冬天温度能降到零下40摄氏度。 雪加风就形成了另一种极端天气：暴风雪。 暴风雪来临时，短短几个小时积雪就能超过1米深。 很快就会堵住公路、铁路和机场跑道。 还会刮断电线，把汽车整个埋在雪底下。