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Portugal and Spain are once more dealing with the consequences of significant flooding following Tempest Claudia delivered heavy rain and powerful gusts last week.

Claudia's Origin and Path

This weather system originated from a region of depressed atmospheric pressure that had earlier driven early season chilly and snowy weather through the eastern regions of the Canadian territory and the north-eastern US during the beginning of the eleventh month.

The system journeyed east across the Atlantic Ocean during the second weekend of November before losing momentum and stopping to the north-west of the Iberian peninsula, snared in a dip of an progressively more wavy air current.

Effects in the Iberian Peninsula

Galicia in north-west Spain was initially impacted, with a substantial 80 to 150 millimetres of rain falling along its west coast in just 24 hours up to the evening of Wednesday as a sluggish front of rain pushed across western parts of the region.

More downpours and stormy weather on the following Thursday caused inundations to parts of Portugal where an older couple lost their lives in the city of Lisbon after rising waters from the bursting Tagus River entered their home as they were asleep.

Unsettled atmospheric states continued into the weekend, with a violent whirlwind tearing through a outdoor lodging area and a close-by inn in Albufeira in the south in Portugal's south on Saturday last week, fatally injuring an elderly British lady and injuring two dozen and eight persons.

Extended Consequences across the European continent

The storm produced wider effects across western Europe. By pulling tropical air from the subtropical zones, the system helped temperatures in southwestern France to 29.8C (85.6F), the country's highest recorded autumn temperature.

By the following Friday, this warm and humid air mass met a frigid air system across more northern parts of Europe, generating a band of rain running from Ireland's west to the Russian Federation.

In the UK, this stalling band of rain produced record-breaking rain accumulations, resulting in significant waterlogging in the Welsh region.

As this weather phenomenon progressively weakens early this week, the frigid air will push south, delivering to Europe its initial glimpse of winter.

Simultaneous Occurrences in the state of California

California encountered an "atmospheric river" the previous week, causing intense precipitation and high-velocity gusts that led to rapid flooding and landslides in zones impacted by forest fires in the recent past.

In excess of 50 millimetres of rain was recorded in southern California on the week's end, with a another 50 millimetres across extensive areas of California on the subsequent Saturday.

In excess of 100 millimetres of rain accumulated over coastal areas of Southern CA in total, hitting a full 200 millimetres in areas of elevated terrain.

Such a weather system is a narrow band of warm, moist air stemming from the tropical or subtropical regions.

Locations with fire damage including Pacific Palisades and Altadena endured the worst of the flash flooding and mudslides, leading to evacuations.

Across California, a 71-year-old man lost his life after his automobile was swept off a submerged bridge, and a young girl aged seven and her dad were pulled into the sea by powerful waves on the the state's central shoreline.