Q: Tell me about the cold wave that hit Texas.
I think most people think of hot weather when they think of Texas, but it is normal for SOME areas of Texas, such as Fort Worth, to get cold weather and even snow. However, the sudden cold snap was much colder than usual and impacted parts of the state that do not usually see such cold weather. During the storm, the temperatures ranged between -2 F and 25 F ( -18.8 C to -3.8 C), when on average, the winter temps are between 3 F and 70 F (-16 C to 21 C).
The biggest problems were caused by lack of heating, which actually caused several people to freeze to death. Without heating, the water pipes in many homes froze and burst. Then when the homes started to warm back up, people suddenly had water gushing out of their walls or ceilings. Many homes and businesses were destroyed by water. I also heard that even the local hospitals were without water for several days. Can you imagine being cared for by medical staff that cannot wash their hands??
The entire US has had odd weather this year. Meteorologists say this is partly due to a La Nina weather pattern, which has been made more extreme by global warming. Many say that the weather patterns will become more and more extreme as time goes on.
(和訳)
Q: テキサスを襲った寒波について教えて。
A: ほとんどの人がテキサスというと、暑い気候を思い浮かべると思うんだけど、テキサスでもフォートウォースのような地域は寒くなるし、雪も降ったりするのよ。でも、あの急激な寒波はいつもよりうんと寒かったし、通常寒くならない地域にまで及んでいたわね。冬の平均気温が華氏3度から 70 度（摂氏-16 度から21度）に対して、あの嵐の間は、気温は華氏-2度から25度（摂氏-18.8度から-3.8度）だったわ。
ヒーターが切れてしまったことで最大の被害が生じたわ。実際何人かが凍死したの。ヒーターがなくて、多くの家庭で水道管が凍結して破裂したわ。暖かさが戻ってくると、今度は壁や天井から水が吹き出てきた。多くの家や店舗が水にやられたの。地元の病院は数日間水がなかったとも聞いたわよ。手が洗えない病院のスタッフに処置されるのを想像できるかしら？
今年、米国は全国的に変な天候よ。気象予報士は、地球温暖化で極端化してきたラニーニャの原因もあると言っているわね。多くの人が、時が経つにつれ、気象パターンが極端になると言っているわ。
