Storm Chasers

Storm Chasers. Written by Linda Johns.

风暴追逐者。 琳达·约翰斯 著。

CHASING THE WIND What kind of person chases a storm? Most people run for cover when the weather turns nasty. But for storm chasers, high winds, funnel clouds, and lightning are part of the job. Some storm chasers are filmmakers and photographers trying to capture spectacular images of a tornado. But most storm chasers are scientists and meteorologists who study the weather. They put themselves in the paths of tornadoes to collect information that will help them better predict tornadoes and save lives. Their job is dangerous and may seem thrilling, but being out in severe weather makes storm chasers extra careful.

追风之旅 什么样的人会追逐风暴？ 天气变坏时，大多数人都会找地方躲避。 但对风暴追逐者来说，大风、漏斗云和闪电都是工作的一部分。 有些风暴追逐者是导演和摄影师，想要拍下龙卷风壮观震撼的画面。 不过大多数风暴追逐者是研究天气的科学家和气象学家。 他们身处龙卷风的行进路径收集信息，帮助人们更好预测龙卷风、拯救生命。 他们的工作很危险，看起来也很刺激，但身处恶劣天气中的风暴追逐者会格外小心。

Every year, hundreds of tornadoes rip through the central part of the United States. They can flip over cars, tear roofs off houses, and destroy crops. Most tornado winds blow about 160 kilometers per hour, 100 miles per hour. The strongest tornadoes, sometimes called super tornadoes, have wind speeds of 402 kilometers per hour to more than 482 kilometers per hour, 250 to 300 miles per hour. A super tornado destroys everything in its path. Less than 2 % of all tornadoes have winds of more than 322 kilometers per hour, 200 miles per hour.

每年，美国中部都会有数百场龙卷风肆虐。 它们能掀翻汽车、掀掉屋顶，还会摧毁庄稼。 大多数龙卷风的风速约为每小时160千米，也就是每小时100英里。 最强的龙卷风有时被叫做超级龙卷风，风速为每小时402千米到482千米以上，即每小时250到300英里。 超级龙卷风会摧毁路径上的一切。 所有龙卷风中，风速超过每小时322千米（即每小时200英里）的不到2%。

Tornado Alley More than 800 tornadoes a year touched down in the United States, and more than half of Earth's tornadoes hit the central section of the United States called Tornado Alley. Some of the states in Tornado Alley are Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Most storm chasing happens in these states, in the spring in the southern states of the Great Plains, and in the late summer in the northern states.

龙卷风走廊 美国每年会发生800多场龙卷风，全球超过一半的龙卷风都发生在美国中部这片被称为龙卷风走廊的区域。 龙卷风走廊包含的州有艾奥瓦、内布拉斯加、科罗拉多、堪萨斯、俄克拉荷马和得克萨斯。 追逐风暴大多发生在这些州：大平原南部的州多在春季，北部的州多在夏末。

Every state in the United States has experienced a tornado. They just tend to be stronger and more frequent in the central part of the country. Texas has the most recorded tornado touchdowns of any state. On March 8, 1925, one of the worst tornadoes in U .S. history ripped through Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. The tornado traveled on the ground for 352 kilometers, 219 miles, and lasted three and a half hours. More than 600 people died in that tornado, and 10 ,000 people lost their homes.

美国的每个州都遭遇过龙卷风。 只不过美国中部的龙卷风往往更强，也更频繁。 有记录以来，得克萨斯州的龙卷风发生次数比美国其他州都多。 1925年3月8日，美国历史上最严重的龙卷风之一横扫了密苏里、伊利诺伊和印第安纳州。 这场龙卷风在地面行进了352千米，即219英里，持续了三个半小时。 这场龙卷风造成超过600人死亡，一万人失去家园。

Tornado Weather Meteorologists have studied tornadoes by observing them and collecting data, but they still have much to learn. They know about most of the weather conditions needed to form a tornado, but they still do know why some funnel clouds touch down becoming tornadoes and others do not.

龙卷风与天气 气象学家通过观测龙卷风、收集数据研究它们，但仍有很多内容有待探索。 他们已经了解龙卷风形成所需的大部分天气条件，但仍不清楚为什么有的漏斗云落地形成龙卷风，有的却不会。