印度高溫：熱浪因何而起？何時結束？

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.
印度一直很熱。但是過去的十天高溫卻是罕見，即使對全世界最熱的地區來說也是少見。5月27日東部的賈坎德邦和奧里薩邦的氣溫高達116.6華氏度（47攝氏度）。

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暈眩，還不能開車，因為道路由于高溫在融化。

The pain and loss the heat has caused is devastating. More than 1,400 people have died.
因高溫而造成的痛苦和損失是災難性的，已有1400多人因高溫而喪命。

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歲的兒子因中暑而喪命。他外出僅僅是為了給老父親買藥。

So what's behind India's heat, is it unusual and when will it end?
那么，印度高溫的背后是什么？這高溫正常嗎？何時結束？

What's behind the heat?
高溫的背后是什么？

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.
至少有幾個因素影響。據NASA戈達德太空研究所的研究科學家本杰明·庫克表示，氣候變化可能是導致高溫的因素之一。但是他說，如果沒有大量的研究就不能確切地了解到氣候變化對印度高溫天氣的影響有多大。

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.
根據CNN氣象學家莫妮卡·加勒特說，印度正經歷著來自印度西北部以及巴基斯坦又熱又干的西風，也就是洛風，導致氣候干旱。也就是說空氣濕度或露點溫度較低。隨著雨季推進，第一波最晚下周末到達，干熱天氣還會繼續。

Isn't it hot in nearby countries?
鄰近的國家不熱嗎？

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.
鄰國巴基斯坦和阿富汗也熱，其溫度超過100華氏度（38攝氏度），但是印度的情況似乎更糟糕，其部分原因是由于它的多數地區都人口稠密。

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.
印度擁有12億人口，現在大約三分之二的人口能用上電。這意味著在印度約有4億人口沒有可靠的電源使用空調和冷藏設備。

And India suffers because of geography. High mountains block cool air coming from the northeast, said Garrett.
加勒特說，印度出現這種情況的原因還因為它的地形，高山阻擋了從東北方向吹來的涼風。

Is a hotter future ahead?
未來會更熱嗎？

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熱。按慣例，五月是印度最熱的月份，全國部分地區的溫度在104～105華氏度之間居高不下。熱浪在印度十分常見。2002年和2003年數百人因高溫而亡。

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.
研究表明印度將經歷一個艱難的夏天。南部地區過去常常免遭酷熱，但卻預計未來將會遭遇更多的熱浪。總的來說，印度將會有更多的地區遭遇熱浪，并且時間持續較長---可能要30天。

When will the heat wave end?
熱浪何時結束？

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.
可能這周末雨季到達才會緩解這種情況。27日晚，海得拉巴（印度南部的一個城市）的一場陣雨給一直祈求下雨的數百萬人帶來了一絲安慰。

In the meantime, water camps are open and commuters are doing their best to survive.
在此期間，印度的水營一直開放，通勤族們正在努力活命。

Vocabulary

heat stroke: 中暑
monsoon: 雨季
hover: 徘徊

（譯者：燕子雙飛 編輯：馬文英）