California’s ‘big melt’ has begun and could bring perilous flooding with it
Spring has offered California a welcome reprieve
from the record rains and historic snowfall that hammered
the state in recent weeks, but a new danger wrought
by the warming weather looms
large. The state’s enormous
snowpack will soon begin to melt – and communities are bracing
for waters to rise yet again. Trillions of gallons
of water packed within the record level of snow blanketing
the Sierra Nevada range are expected to rush into rivers and reservoirs
as the weather heats up, heightening flood risks in areas already saturated
by the state’s extremely wet winter.
tips
melt:融化
perilous:危险的
loom large:令人忧虑
loom:逐渐逼近;隐约显现
reprieve:暂时解救;缓刑
hammer:n. 锤子 🔨;v. 捶打;敲打;猛踢
wrought:(变化)造成了;a. 精细的
enormous:巨大的
brace:支架;背带;大括号;v. 做准备
gallon:加仑
blanket:毛毯;覆盖
reservoir:贮水池;vt. 储藏(reserve 储备;自然保护区;储备金;vt. 保留,保存,预定,延期,推迟)
heat:热;温度;加热(区别于 heart 心跳)
saturate:饱和的;vt. 浸透