印度高温：热浪因何而起？何时结束？

It's often hot in India. But the past 10 days have been exceptional, even for one of the hottest places on the planet. The highest temperature recorded on Wednesday reached 116.6 degrees Fahrenheit in the eastern states of Jharkhand and Odisha.
印度一直很热。但是过去的十天高温却是罕见，即使对全世界最热的地区来说也是少见。5月27日东部的贾坎德邦和奥里萨邦的气温高达116.6华氏度（47摄氏度）。

Commuters aren't just sweating and dizzy -- they can't drive because the roads are melting.
通勤族不只是流汗和晕眩，还不能开车，因为道路由于高温在融化。

The pain and loss the heat has caused is devastating. More than 1,400 people have died.
因高温而造成的痛苦和损失是灾难性的，已有1400多人因高温而丧命。

One elderly man lost his 38-year-old son to heat stroke. The man had simply ventured out to buy his father's medicine.
一位老人38岁的儿子因中暑而丧命。他外出仅仅是为了给老父亲买药。

So what's behind India's heat, is it unusual and when will it end?
那么，印度高温的背后是什么？这高温正常吗？何时结束？

What's behind the heat?
高温的背后是什么？

There are at least a couple things. Climate change is likely a factor, according to Benjamin Cook, a research scientist with the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. But it's not possible without a lot of research to know exactly how much climate change is affecting conditions in India, he said.
至少有几个因素影响。据NASA戈达德太空研究所的研究科学家本杰明·库克表示，气候变化可能是导致高温的因素之一。但是他说，如果没有大量的研究就不能确切地了解到气候变化对印度高温天气的影响有多大。

India is experiencing Loo winds, hot and dry westerly gusts from Pakistan and northwest India which dries out the region, according to CNN meteorologist Monica Garrett. That means that air moisture, or dew point, is low. When a monsoon advances, and one is expected to hit as early as the end of this week, there is always more dry heat.
根据CNN气象学家莫妮卡·加勒特说，印度正经历着来自印度西北部以及巴基斯坦又热又干的西风，也就是洛风，导致气候干旱。也就是说空气湿度或露点温度较低。随着雨季推进，第一波最晚下周末到达，干热天气还会继续。

Isn't it hot in nearby countries?
邻近的国家不热吗？

Neighboring Pakistan and Afghanistan are hot, with temperatures well past 100 degrees Fahrenheit, but India appears to be suffering far worse, due in part to its many densely populated areas.
邻国巴基斯坦和阿富汗也热，其温度超过100华氏度（38摄氏度），但是印度的情况似乎更糟糕，其部分原因是由于它的多数地区都人口稠密。

About two-thirds of India's 1.2 billion people have access to electricity. That would mean that in India alone about 400 million people do not have reliable access to air conditioning and refrigeration.
印度拥有12亿人口，现在大约三分之二的人口能用上电。这意味着在印度约有4亿人口没有可靠的电源使用空调和冷藏设备。

And India suffers because of geography. High mountains block cool air coming from the northeast, said Garrett.
加勒特说，印度出现这种情况的原因还因为它的地形，高山阻挡了从东北方向吹来的凉风。

Is a hotter future ahead?
未来会更热吗？

India is used to intense early summers. May is typically India's hottest month with temps in some parts of the country hovering around 104 to 105 degrees. Heatwaves are common in India. Hundreds died in 2002 and 2003 as a result of the heat.
印度的初夏一直很炎热。按惯例，五月是印度最热的月份，全国部分地区的温度在104～105华氏度之间居高不下。热浪在印度十分常见。2002年和2003年数百人因高温而亡。

Studies suggest India is in for more rough summers. The southern part of the country, which has mostly escaped the buckling heat, is predicted to suffer more heat waves. Overall, more parts of India will suffer heat waves that last longer -- possibly 30 days.
研究表明印度将经历一个艰难的夏天。南部地区过去常常免遭酷热，但却预计未来将会遭遇更多的热浪。总的来说，印度将会有更多的地区遭遇热浪，并且时间持续较长---可能要30天。

When will the heat wave end?
热浪何时结束？

It's possible that a monsoon could hit by the end of the week and bring relief. On Wednesday night, a light shower in Hyderabad brought some relief to millions who had been praying for rain.
可能这周末雨季到达才会缓解这种情况。27日晚，海得拉巴（印度南部的一个城市）的一场阵雨给一直祈求下雨的数百万人带来了一丝安慰。

In the meantime, water camps are open and commuters are doing their best to survive.
在此期间，印度的水营一直开放，通勤族们正在努力活命。

Vocabulary

heat stroke: 中暑
monsoon: 雨季
hover: 徘徊

（译者：燕子双飞 编辑：马文英）