热浪炙烤美国西部，加州自2001年以来首次实行轮流停电

热浪炙烤美国西部，加州自2001年以来首次实行轮流停电

The sun sets through smoke created by the Ranch Fire this week in Azusa, Calif. The heat wave will likely hinder firefighting efforts, but at least the strong winds that fuel wildfires are not expected.

本周，太阳从加利福尼亚州阿祖萨的农场大火产生的烟雾中落下。热浪可能会阻碍灭火工作，但至少不会引发助长野火的强风。

California electricity providers instituted rolling blackouts Friday night — the first since 2001 — as an intense and prolonged heat wave settled over much of the Western U.S.

随着一股强烈而持久的热浪席卷美国西部大部分地区，加州电力供应商在周五晚上开始实施轮流停电，这是自2001年以来的第一次轮流停电。

Hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have experienced brief power outages through the evening, after the body that manages most of the state's electric utilities declared a Stage 3 emergency to help reduce stress on the larger grid.

据信，在管理该州大部分电力设施的机构宣布进入三级紧急状态，以帮助减轻大电网的压力后，数十万人在整个晚上经历了短暂的停电。

Electricity demand surged through the day as temperatures topped the triple digits in many parts of the state and people cranked up fans and air-conditioning units to try to stay cool.

由于该州许多地区的气温超过三位数，人们打开电扇和空调来降温，电力需求一整天都在飙升。

The emergency order was rescinded before midnight and power was fully restored to all affected households, the California Independent System Operator said in a tweet.

加州独立电力系统运营商在推特上表示，紧急命令在午夜前被撤销，所有受影响家庭的电力已经完全恢复。

Still, demand for electricity is expected to remain high through the weekend and well into next week. The heat wave blanketing much of California and other parts of the Western U.S. is expected to persist until at least Thursday, with many places expected to see record high maximum and minimum temperatures, according to the National Weather Service. The forecast raises questions about future electricity demand and the potential for more blackouts.

不过，电力需求预计将在本周末一直居高不下，直至下周。据美国国家气象局称，席卷加州大部分地区和美国西部其他地区的热浪预计将至少持续到周四，许多地方的最高和最低气温预计将创历史新高。这一预测引发了人们对未来电力需求和可能发生的更多停电的疑问。

Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at University of California, Los Angeles, says the heat wave could be the worst in more than a decade.

加州大学洛杉矶分校的气候科学家丹尼尔·斯温说，这次热浪可能是十多年来最严重的一次。

Extreme heat is a silent killer, responsible for more deaths than any other natural disaster. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that heat killsmore than 600 people in the U.S. every year.

极端高温是一个无声的杀手，造成的死亡人数比其他任何自然灾害都要多。美国疾病控制和预防中心估计，美国每年有600多人死于高温。

However, a recent study by researchers at Boston University and the University of British Columbia in Canada suggests the number may actually be far higher — possibly as high as 5,600 annually — with even moderate heat waves increasing the number of deaths.

然而，波士顿大学和加拿大英属哥伦比亚大学的研究人员最近的一项研究表明，实际死亡人数可能要高得多，可能高达每年5600人，即使是中等程度的热浪也会增加死亡人数。

Climate change is making heat waves more frequent and more intense in the Western U.S., scientists say, and it's doing the same to wildfires.

科学家称，气候变化使得美国西部的热浪更加频繁和强烈，野火也更加频繁和强烈。

Fire season is just beginning in California, with more than dozen blazes burning through the state. The heat wave won't help firefighting efforts, and there are concerns it could dry out vegetation in other parts of the West, setting the stage for future fires. Fortunately, strong winds — a chief driver of California's recent deadly fires — are not forecast in the coming week. But that also means that unhealthy air and higher-than-normal humidity are likely to remain in parts of the state.

加州的火灾季节才刚刚开始，全州有十几起大火在燃烧。热浪无助于消防工作，人们担心热浪会使西部其他地区的植被干枯，为未来的火灾埋下隐患。幸运的是，预计未来一周不会有强风(强风是加州最近致命火灾的主要诱因)。但这也意味着危险的空气和高于正常湿度的空气很可能会存在于该州的部分地区。