VOA科学技术2024--Extreme Weather Seems Nearly Everywhere

In recent months, reports of extreme weather have reached new levels. Some climate scientists say they cannot remember when the world had so much extreme weather.

In Brazil, for example, flooding killed at least 100 people and damaged the southern city of Porto Alegre. Voters and politicians in India are facing heat as high as 46 degrees Celsius¹ during national elections².

A heat wave caused officials to close schools in the Philippines. Thailand has reported deaths from record heat. Weather experts are also reporting high heat in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Maldives and Myanmar. Record temperatures hit many parts of Africa too.

In the United States, the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center recently put a message on social media service X. It said April had the second-highest number of tornadoes³ for that month ever recorded.

Jonathan Overpeck leads the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan. He said, "It is not surprising to see worsening climate extremes so early in the year." The climate expert added, "If this record pace of warming continues, 2024 will likely be a record year of climate disasters and human suffering."

Some scientists have been saying that, when the world is warmer, it is likely to have more extreme weather. They call these "climate events," including record heat and rainfall. They say climate change is also changing where and when weather events take place. Alvaro Silva said that leads to rainy and hot systems staying over areas for longer periods. Silva is a climate scientist at the World Meteorological Organization based in Geneva.

Climate scientists have reported 13 straight months of record high ocean temperatures as a possible influence on the weather extremes.

Recently, the European climate service Copernicus reported the 11th record-breaking month in a row for the world's average temperature. The average global temperature of 15 degrees Celsius in April beat the old record from 2016 by 0.14 degrees Celsius. Copernicus' data dates back to 1950.

Last month was 1.58 degrees Celsius warmer than what climate scientists call the pre-industrial period of the late 19th century. Countries signing the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015 set a goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

Several influences play a part in the recent extremes. Silva said, "climate change is the most important one."

In the first five days of May, 70 countries or territories broke heat records, said climatologist Maximiliano Herrera. He follows temperature records across the world.

Recently in Southeast Asia, "it was the hottest May night ever," Herrera posted on X. Parts of Thailand did not drop below 31 degrees Celsius.

Many African nations are also facing extreme heat. Herrera said it reached 47.5 degrees Celsius in Kayes, Mali. The capital of Niger, Niamey, had its hottest May night and Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, had its hottest night for any month.

The heat in Brazil affected⁴ cites⁵ like S?o Paulo and kept a rainstorm from moving over the country's south. Francisco Aquino, a climatologist at the Federal⁶ University of Rio Grande do Sul, said that caused the weather to become dangerous.

There was also an increase in humidity⁷ from the Amazon River area, which Aquino called "flying rivers." The flying rivers are air currents that carry a lot of water vapor⁸. "These caused clouds to generate⁹ extreme rainfall," he said.

April also brought the heaviest rains ever recorded to the United Arab Emirates. Parts of major highways flooded, as did Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest airport for international travel.

Words in This Story

pace - n. the speed at which something moves

humidity - n. the amount of water suspended¹⁰ in the air

vapor - n. gaseous water

1 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

2 elections   

n.选举，当选，推举( election的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Republicans got shellacked in the elections. 共和党在选举中一败涂地。
• He emerged victorious in the elections. 他在竞选中脱颖而出获得胜利。

3 tornadoes   

n.龙卷风，旋风( tornado的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Tornadoes, severe earthquakes, and plagues create wide spread havoc. 龙卷风、大地震和瘟疫成普遍的毁坏。 来自互联网
• Meteorologists are at odds over the working of tornadoes. 气象学者对龙卷风的运动方式看法不一。 来自互联网

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 cites   

引用( cite的第三人称单数 )； 传唤； 记起； [军事]传（或通）令嘉奖

参考例句：

• CITES is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. CITES是关于濒危野生动植物种国际贸易的国际公约。
• Great bustard (Otis tarda) is listed as a first-rating protected bird in China and CITES II. 大鸨(Otistarda)是国家级保护动物，CITES附录物种。

6 federal   

adj.联盟的；联邦的；(美国)联邦政府的

参考例句：

• Switzerland is a federal republic.瑞士是一个联邦共和国。
• The schools are screaming for federal aid.那些学校强烈要求联邦政府的援助。

7 humidity   

n.湿度，潮湿，湿气

参考例句：

• The house is not comfortable tonight ,because of the high humidity.由于湿度高，今晚屋子里不舒服。
• It's difficult to work because of the humidity.由于空气潮湿，工作很困难。

8 vapor   

n.蒸汽，雾气

参考例句：

• The cold wind condenses vapor into rain.冷风使水蒸气凝结成雨。
• This new machine sometimes transpires a lot of hot vapor.这部机器有时排出大量的热气。

9 generate   

vt.生成，产生（光、热、电等）导致

参考例句：

• We need someone to generate new ideas.我们需要有人出新主意。
• This book will continue to generate excitement for a long time.这本书将在很长一段时间里继续使人们为之激动。

10 suspended   

a.被暂时搁置的

参考例句：

• A lamp was suspended from the ceiling. 一盏吊灯悬在天花板上。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area. 英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。