氣象冬天在北美呼嘯而至

氣象冬天在北美呼嘯而至

It's December, which means it's "meteorological winter" for the Northern Hemisphere. And while there are still a few weeks until the winter solstice — which marks the official beginning of "astronomical winter" on Dec. 21 — the weather across much of North America is already leaving little doubt that winter has effectively arrived.

現(xiàn)在是12月，對(duì)北半球來(lái)說(shuō)，這是一個(gè)“氣象冬季”。盡管離冬至還有幾周的時(shí)間——冬至標(biāo)志著12月21日“天文冬季”的正式開(kāi)始——但北美大部分地區(qū)的天氣狀況已經(jīng)讓人確信，冬季實(shí)際上已經(jīng)到來(lái)。

Motorists navigate during a winter storm in Mason City, Iowa, on Nov. 27, 2019. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

A dangerous winter storm swept east across the country during the weekend after Thanksgiving, and more severe weather is forecast along both the east and west coasts in coming days.

感恩節(jié)后的周末，一場(chǎng)危險(xiǎn)的冬季風(fēng)暴席卷了美國(guó)東部地區(qū)，預(yù)計(jì)未來(lái)幾天美國(guó)東部和西部沿海地區(qū)將出現(xiàn)更惡劣的天氣。

The snow and ice was often exacerbated by strong winds, which gusted as strong as a category 1 hurricane Saturday in Nederland, Colorado, reaching speeds up to 94 mph (151 kph). Winds also gusted at 59 mph (95 kph) in Nebraska, according to AccuWeather, which notes icicles froze sideways during high winds in the city of Kimbell.

大風(fēng)經(jīng)常使冰雪更加惡化，周六在科羅拉多州的尼德蘭，強(qiáng)風(fēng)達(dá)到了一級(jí)颶風(fēng)的強(qiáng)度，最高時(shí)速達(dá)到94英里(151公里)。根據(jù)AccuWeather的數(shù)據(jù)，內(nèi)布拉斯加州的風(fēng)速也達(dá)到了每小時(shí)59英里(每小時(shí)95公里)。

More on the way

更多的還在路上

A trio digs out of the Green Mountain neighborhood ahead of Thanksgiving in Lakewood, Colorado. (Photo: Joe Mahoney/Getty Images)

After sweeping across the Central U.S. last week, the severe weather battered the Eastern U.S. on Monday, dumping several inches of snow and causing additional delays to air traffic. Parts of the Northeast may have up to a foot of snow by Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasters warned of "disastrous" travel conditions in some major metro areas.

在上周橫掃美國(guó)中部地區(qū)之后，惡劣天氣周一又襲擊了美國(guó)東部地區(qū)，帶來(lái)了幾英寸的降雪，導(dǎo)致空中交通進(jìn)一步延誤。據(jù)美國(guó)國(guó)家氣象局說(shuō)，到周三，美國(guó)東北部部分地區(qū)的降雪量可能達(dá)到一英尺。氣象預(yù)報(bào)員警告說(shuō)，一些大城市的交通狀況將是“災(zāi)難性的”。

This round of severe weather should dwindle as the first week of December wears on, but more trouble may still be brewing farther west. By midweek, for instance, an atmospheric river will carry bring rain and high-country snow from the Pacific Ocean across Southern California and into the interior Southwest. While this precipitation may offer relief to areas plagued by wildfires in recent weeks, it could also lead to dangerous flooding in some places, AccuWeather warns.

隨著12月的第一周逐漸過(guò)去，這一輪惡劣天氣應(yīng)該會(huì)有所緩解，但在更遠(yuǎn)的西部地區(qū)，更多的麻煩可能仍在醞釀之中。例如，到本周三，一條大氣河流將從太平洋帶來(lái)降雨和高海拔地區(qū)的降雪，跨越南加州，進(jìn)入西南內(nèi)陸地區(qū)。AccuWeather警告說(shuō)，雖然這種降水可能緩解近幾周野火肆虐的地區(qū)的災(zāi)情，但也可能導(dǎo)致一些地區(qū)發(fā)生危險(xiǎn)的洪災(zāi)。

A "train" of West Coast storms is expected to continue into late this week, potentially expanding into the Pacific Northwest by this weekend, according to AccuWeather. While temperatures are expected to be below average this month for the Eastern U.S., the latter weeks of December may warm up slightly for much of the rest of the country, the Weather Channel reports.

據(jù)AccuWeather網(wǎng)站報(bào)道，一列西海岸風(fēng)暴預(yù)計(jì)將持續(xù)到本周晚些時(shí)候，有可能在本周末擴(kuò)大到太平洋西北部地區(qū)。據(jù)氣象頻道報(bào)道，雖然本月美國(guó)東部的氣溫預(yù)計(jì)將低于平均水平，但12月的最后幾周，美國(guó)其他大部分地區(qū)可能會(huì)略有升溫。

A woman and a boy build a snowman in California's San Bernardino National Forest on Nov. 29. (Photo: Apu Gomes/AFP/Getty Images)

This marks a busy beginning to meteorological winter, which spans the three coldest months of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. It begins on Dec. 1 and runs through the end of February, differentiating it from astronomical winter, which begins with the winter solstice on Dec. 21. Determined by Earth's axial tilt and the sun's alignment over the planet's equator, rather than actual weather conditions on the surface, astronomical winter continues until the spring equinox on March 19.

這標(biāo)志著北半球一年中最冷的三個(gè)月迎來(lái)了一個(gè)繁忙的氣象寒冬。它始于12月1日，一直持續(xù)到2月底，與冬至日(12月21日)形成鮮明對(duì)比。由地球的軸向傾斜和太陽(yáng)在地球赤道上的排列決定，而不是地球表面的實(shí)際天氣狀況，天文上的冬季將持續(xù)到3月19日春分。