The public is being asked to prepare for the risk of flooding with above-average rain and wind likely this autumn.

英国气象局提醒公众，由于今秋降雨和风力可能高于平均水平，需做好应对洪灾风险的准备。



The Met Office is picking up higher chances of a strong jet stream and westerly winds in the long-range forecast, raising the risk of a wet, windy, and potentially stormy season.

英国气象局在长期预报中指出，强急流和西风出现的概率增大，这意味着本季可能出现多雨、多风、 甚至风暴天气。

Although the heavy rain and wind aren't guaranteed, if they do hit, western and northern parts of the UK are expected to bear the brunt.

尽管大雨和大风并非必然发生，但一旦来袭，英国西部和北部地区预计将首当其冲。

Meanwhile eastern and southern areas may experience drier conditions than the national average.

与此同时，东部和南部地区的天气可能比全国平均水平更为干燥。

And the unsettled weather is unlikely to eliminate the current drought afflicting five areas of England any time soon, said Will Lang, chief meteorologist at the Met Office.

英国气象局首席气象学家威尔·朗表示， 当前动荡的天气不太可能很快消除目前困扰英格兰五个地区的旱情。

"The current forecast for unsettled weather is unlikely to be enough to reverse the effects of drought over the next few weeks and during the autumn, especially so in England. We're going to need more rain than that."

“目前对不稳定天气的预测，不太可能在接下来的几周和秋季扭转干旱的影响， 在英格兰尤其如此。 我们需要更多的降雨。”

He said it's too early to tell whether that will change later in autumn and into winter.

他说，现在判断今秋晚些时候及冬季情况是否会发生变化还为时过早。

But it means some areas could feasibly experience both drought and flooding at the same time, something symptomatic of a changing climate.

但这意味着，某些地区可能同时出现干旱和洪灾，这是气候变化的一个特征。

It comes as the sunny season came to an abrupt end last week, with the UK's hottest summer on record giving way to heavy rain in some areas.

上周，阳光明媚的季节戛然而止，英国有记录以来最热的夏季被部分地区的暴雨所取代。

Last September brought heavy downpours and major disruption to the Midlands, before Storm Bert forced a major incident in Wales in November.

去年9月，英格兰中部地区暴雨倾盆，引发严重混乱；11月，风暴“伯特”又迫使威尔士宣布进入重大紧急状态。

Public urged to sign up to flood warnings

敦促公众订阅洪水预警服务

The Floods Resilience Taskforce - including floods minister Emma Hardy, the emergency services, and the Environment Agency - will meet later to discuss how to prepare for the season ahead.

由洪水事务部长艾玛·哈迪、紧急服务部门和英国环境署组成的洪水应对特别工作组将于晚些时候开会， 讨论如何为即将到来的季节做好准备。

Set up last year to tackle increasingly extreme weather, it is today urging the public to sign up to flood warnings in their area, avoid driving through flood water and prepare homes in order to speed up recovery.

该工作组成立于去年，旨在应对日益极端的天气，如今敦促公众订阅所在地区的洪水预警服务， 避免驾车涉水，并做好家庭防洪准备，以加快灾后恢复速度。

About 6.3m properties in England are at risk of flooding, whether from the sea, rivers or flash flooding, according to Environment Agency data.

根据英国环境署的数据，英格兰约有630万处房产面临洪水风险，包括海啸、河流洪水或山洪暴发。

The government has committed a "record" two-year investment of £2.65bn to protect an extra 52,000 properties. It said it is on track to protect 25,000 homes this financial year, with 3,800 so far signed off.

政府已承诺“创纪录”地投入26.5亿英镑，为期两年，以保护另外5.2万处房产。 政府表示，本财年有望保护2.5万户家庭，目前已批准3800户。

Officials confirmed 92.7% of the country's critical flood defences are at their required condition, with little change on the 92.6% last September, and still below the optimum level of 98%.

官员们证实，该国92.7%的关键防洪设施状况达标，与去年9月的92.6%相比变化不大， 但仍低于98%的最佳水平。

Ms Hardy said the government is "investing billions to build new flood defences, which will protect homes and businesses across the country".

哈迪表示，政府“正在投资数十亿英镑建设新的防洪设施，以保护全国各地的家庭和企业”。

Warmer than average autumn expected

预计今秋气温高于平均水平

The new storm name season was launched last week, which officials say helps make people more aware of weather risks.

上周，新的风暴命名季拉开帷幕，官员们表示，这有助于提高人们对天气风险的认识。

This autumn is also likely to be warmer than average, "a reflection mainly of our warming climate and how much things have changed in even just in the last 30 years," said Mr Lang.

朗先生表示，今秋气温也可能高于平均水平， “这主要反映了我们的气候正在变暖，以及近30年来情况发生了多大变化”。

Warmer air also holds more moisture, making downpours heavier.

气温升高也意味着空气能容纳更多水分，从而使暴雨更加猛烈。

In April, the country's climate advisers warned the country was on course for "disaster" without better protection against flooding and intense heat.

今年4月，英国气候顾问警告称，如果不加强防洪和防暑措施，英国将面临“灾难”。

素材来源：iYuba