Warming temperatures and shorter winters might sound like the end of snow days. However, rising temperatures may actually cause snowstorms to dump more snow, says David Robinson. He is a professor at a university in New Jersey. He studies climate change.
气温上升和冬季缩短听起来像是雪天的结束。然而，大卫·罗宾逊说，气温上升实际上可能会导致更大的暴风雪。他是新泽西州一所大学的教授，研究气候变化。
Temperature change is one of the greatest in Earth’s climate change over a long period of time. It can happen naturally or because of human activities, such as burning gas and coal. Burning these fuels produces carbon dioxide and other pollutants into the atmosphere, which hold heat in the atmosphere, leading to warmer global temperatures over time.
长期以来，温度变化是地球气候变化中最大的变化之一。它可能是自然发生的，也可能是由于人类活动，如燃烧天然气和煤炭。这些燃料会产生二氧化碳和其他污染物进入大气，这些污染物在大气中储存热量，导致全球气温随时间升高。
But how could warmer temperatures lead to more snow? To get snow, you need moisture and freezing temperatures (0℃ or less), says Robinson. Without moisture in the air, there is no precipitation (rain or snow). Robinson says there are signs that snowstorms are becoming stronger. This is because of this connection between moisture and precipitation.
但是，气温升高怎么会导致更多的雪呢？罗宾逊说，要下雪，你需要水汽和冰点温度（0℃或更低）。空气中没有水分，就没有降水（雨或雪）。罗宾逊说，有迹象表明暴风雪正在变得越来越强，这是因为水汽和降水之间的这种联系。
“The warmer the air becomes, the more moisture it holds. So, if it’s warming and still cold enough to snow, you can get more snow,” Robinson says.
罗宾逊说：“空气越暖和，它所含的水分就越多。因此，如果天气变暖，但仍然冷到足以下雪，你可以得到更多的雪”。
Of the 10 biggest snowfalls in D. C. region, five happened in the past 25 years, according to the NWS. During that same time period, average winter temperatures in D. C. increased. In 1996, the average winter temperature was 1.8℃. In 2020, it was 6℃.
根据国家气象局的数据，在华盛顿特区地区10场最大的降雪中，有5场发生在过去25年里。在同一时期，华盛顿特区的冬季平均气温上升。1996年冬季平均气温1.8℃。2020年，气温为6℃。
Weather experts suggest that rising temperatures may make winter shorter and less cold. But for now, the snow is still falling. One day, winter might not have any days below the freezing temperature. Once temperatures stay above freezing, snowstorms become rain. Until then, we might continue to see strong storms.
气象专家建议，气温上升可能会使冬季变短，变冷。但就目前而言，雪还在下。有一天，冬天可能没有低于冰点的日子了。一旦气温保持在冰点以上，暴风雪就会变成雨。在那之前，我们可能会继续看到强烈的暴风雪。
According to Robinson, that time could come sooner than we think. He says, “When we look back, years from now, we may see that this was the breaking point.”
根据罗宾逊的说法，这一时刻可能比我们想象的要早。他说：“多年后，当我们回首往事时，我们可能会看到这是一个转折点。”
