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What Is Flash Flooding, and How Can You Avoid It?
什么是山洪暴发，该如何避免?
After hours of sweltering heat, the sky darkens to a charcoal gray. Suddenly it feels as if thunderstorms and heavy rain are imminent. An alert appears on your phone or in the news ticker at the bottom of your television screen: A flash flood watch or warning has been posted for your area. But what exactly does that mean? And what should you do to avoid being caught in fast-rising waters, which the National Weather Service says are responsible for an average of 88 deaths each year in the United States?
几个小时的酷热过后，天空变暗为炭灰色。突然间，人们感觉雷暴和大雨似乎迫在眉睫。手机上或电视屏幕底部的新闻提示框中出现警报：你所在地区已经发布了山洪监测或预警。但这到底意味着什么呢？国家气象局表示，美国每年平均有88人死于快速上涨的洪水，为了避免被卷入其中，你应该做些什么？
Flash flooding gets its name because of the sudden deluge after a heavy rainfall, which the Weather Service says is the most common cause. The flooding begins within six hours and often within three hours of an intense rainfall, though sometimes it can happen within minutes, giving people little time to take precautions. Flooding occurs in areas where the ground is unable to absorb all of the water, according to forecasters, who explained that flash flooding can also be caused by mudslides or breaks in dams or levees.
山洪得名于暴雨后的突如其来的洪水，气象局表示，这是最常见的原因。洪水在强降雨后的6小时内开始，通常在3小时内发生，但有时也会在几分钟内发生，让人们措手不及。据气象预报员解释说，洪水发生在地面无法吸收所有降水的地区，也可能是由泥石流或水坝和堤坝的决口引起的。
Urban areas are particularly vulnerable to flash flooding because they have a lot of paved surfaces. For evidence of this, one need look no further than social media, where commuters share videos of flooded subway stations and roads. A flash flood warning means that flash flooding is imminent or already happening, under the designations used by the Weather Service. A flash flood watch indicates that conditions are favorable for flash flooding, and that it is a possibility.
城市地区特别容易受到山洪暴发的影响，因为它们有很多铺设的路面。要想证明这一点，只需看看社交媒体就知道了，通勤者们分享被洪水淹没的地铁站和道路的视频。根据气象局使用的名称，山洪警告意味着山洪即将来临或已经发生。山洪观测表明，条件有利于山洪暴发，也有可能山洪暴发。
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