BBC News: 常年干旱的加州 现在情况有所缓和

The U.S. state of California has been suffering a historic drought. Three years ago, its governor declared a drought state of emergency. Late last year, 97 percent of California was in drought. But today, the U.S. drought monitor says less than 60 percent of the state is under drought conditions. What happened?

美国加州一直在遭受历史性干旱。三年前，其州长宣布进入干旱紧急状态。去年年底，97%的加州处于干旱状态。但是今天,美国干旱监表示处于干旱的地区不到97%.到底发生了什么事情?

A series of winter storms all hitting in a short amount of time. Since Monday, more than seven inches of rain had fallen, mostly in northern California. Six to 12 feet had fallen on the Sierra Nevada Mountains. They're California's biggest source for water storage and their snow could help refill nearby rivers and lakes, many of which have already risen considerably in recent days.

在很短的时间内，加州遭遇了一系列的暴风雪。自从周一，多数加州北部地区降雨量超过了7英寸。内华达山脉的降雨量达到了6到12英寸。内华达山脉是加州最大的蓄水库，同时降雪可以帮助注满附近的河流和湖泊，在最近几天，许多河流和湖泊的水位都大幅提升。

There's a major downside to this sudden soggy storms, though. Avalanches, flooding, river waters rising over their flood stages, soaking land, buildings and homes nearby. It's brought dangerous conditions to many Californians.

但是对于突如其来的暴风雪也有一个重大的弊端。雪崩、洪水、洪涝时期的水位上涨、被水浸泡的土地，以及附近的建筑物和住所。这些都造成许多加州居民的危险状况。

In the U.S., flash floods kill more people than tornadoes, hurricanes or lightning.

在美国死于洪水的人数要多于龙卷风、飓风和闪电。

A flash flood creates a rush of moving water that can sweep a grown man off his feet, a car off the road, and even your entire home off its foundation.

突如其来的洪水会可以将成年男子、汽车甚至房子都拔地冲走。

When the ground become so saturated that water can no longer seep into the soil, it begins to run off quickly into rivers and streams and this causes a rise in water and a flash.

当地面变得饱和,水不再能渗入土壤,水流就开始流入河流和小溪，这就会导致河流和小溪的水位迅速上涨。

Densely populated areas have an extremely high risk of flash flooding, with the additional concrete in less grassy areas for the water to soak into the soil, and they can see flash flooding very quickly. In the mountainous terrain, the combination of gravity, plus the easy runoff can lead to catastrophic flooding, when all of that water is funneled into the rivers, creeks, and even the valleys.

人口密集的地区，混凝土较多而可供水浸透土壤植被区较少，因此洪水的风险极高，同时洪水来势也非常迅速。在多山的地区，再加上重力以及地表径流，当所有的水流都流入流入河流、小溪、甚至山谷会导致重大的灾难。

Remember, flash flooding can happen in the blink of an eye, that's why it's so important to stay alert and pay attention in case a flash flood watch or warning is issued for your area.

记住，水可能发生在眨眼之间,这就是为何保持警惕和注意如此重要,万一你所在的地区发出洪水警报呢~