Are you still wearing shorts and T-shirts? If you say yes, there's a good reason.
你現在還穿著T恤和短褲嗎？如果是，倒也不奇怪。

Planet Earth has definitely experienced its hottest summer since detailed records have been kept, and according to scientists, it might have been the hottest in more than 4,000 years.
今年夏天無疑是自人類詳細記錄地球氣溫以來最熱的一個夏天，科學家稱，這可能是4000多年來最熱的夏天。

The meteorological summer of June-July-August in the Northern Hemisphere saw its highest globally averaged temperature since records began in 1880, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported.
美國國家海洋和大氣管理局（National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration，NOAA）報告稱，今年六、七、八月——北半球氣象學意義上的夏天——全球平均氣溫創下自1880年有氣溫記錄以來的新高。

Seven out of the nine months this year have made their way to the record books. Now that it's fall, September saw its highest temperature on record, for land and ocean surfaces.
今年過去的九個月中，七個月份的氣溫都創造了歷史記錄。現在正是北半球的秋天，九月份的陸地和海洋表面溫度都創造了高溫新紀錄。

What do scientists point to for this phenomenon?
科學家對這種現象作何解釋？

"The unprecedented heat continues to be driven by the strong El Ni?o in the Pacific," said CNN senior meteorologist Dave Hennen. "We're now five months in a row of record highs, and that will likely continue with El Ni?o forecast to last well into the spring."
CNN高級氣象學家戴夫·亨嫩（Dave Hennen）說，“太平洋的強厄爾尼諾（El Ni?o）現象致使這種史無前例的高溫持續，連續五個月的氣溫都創歷史新高，而這很可能繼續下去，根據預測，厄爾尼諾現象將持續到下個春天。”

Climate research suggests these are the hottest temperatures the Earth has seen since the Bronze Age.
氣候研究認為，這是自青銅時代（Bronze Age）以來地球上出現的最高氣溫。

The report also said record heat was reported across northeastern Africa stretching into the Middle East, part of southeastern Asia, most of the northern half of South America, and parts of central and eastern North America.
報告還顯示，從非洲東北部、中東、亞洲東南部分地區到南美洲北部大部分地區、北美洲東部和中部的部分地區都出現了創紀錄的高溫。

However, not all regions experienced above-normal temperatures. Southern South America, far western Canada, Alaska and a swath across central Asia were cooler or much cooler than average.
然而，并非所有地區的氣溫都高于正常值。南美洲南部、加拿大最西部、阿拉斯加和中亞的一片地區的氣溫低于或遠低于平均氣溫。

"With a 98% chance that the strong El Ni?o conditions will last, it is virtually certain that this year will end up globally being the warmest on record," according to Hennen.
亨嫩說：“這種強厄爾尼諾現象有98%的可能持續下去，因此今年勢必將是全球氣溫再創新高的一年。”

The last strong El Ni?o was back in 1997. That year it wreaked weather-related havoc across the globe, from mudslides in California to fires in Australia.
上一次強厄爾尼諾現象出現在1997年。那一年，厄爾尼諾現象在全球引發了不少與氣候相關的災害，包括加州的泥石流和澳大利亞的火災。

According to NOAA, the average temperature over global land and ocean surfaces for September 2015 was at 1.62 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the 20th century average.
NOAA稱，今年九月全球陸地和海洋表面平均氣溫高于20世紀平均值1.62華氏度。

Experts predict El Ni?o will peak in late fall/early winter, and forecasts now suggest it will remain constant through winter and gradually weaken as spring settles in.
專家預計厄爾尼諾現象將會在秋末或者初冬達到頂峰，目前的氣象預報也表明，厄爾尼諾現象將會貫穿整個冬天，在下個春天來臨時逐漸減弱。

Vocabulary

meteorological：氣象學的

swath：長而寬的一條(或地帶)

英文來源：每日郵報

譯者：Estelle89

審校&編輯：劉明