Tempest Claudia Brings More Flooding to the Portuguese nation and the Spanish territory

Once again, Portugal and Spain find themselves dealing with the consequences of extensive inundation after Storm Claudia delivered torrential downpours and strong winds over the past seven days.

Claudia's Origin and Path

This meteorological event developed from a region of depressed atmospheric pressure that had previously caused unseasonably early cold and snowy conditions through eastern parts of the Canadian territory and the north-eastern United States in early November.

The system journeyed east across the Atlantic Ocean in the middle of the second week of November before losing momentum and stopping to the north-west of the Iberian peninsula, snared in a dip of an ever more meandering jet stream.

Consequences for Iberia

The northwestern Spanish region of Galicia was the first affected, with a substantial 80 to 150 millimetres of rain coming down along its western coastline in just 24 hours up to the evening of Wednesday as a sluggish front of rain pushed across the western sectors of the region.

Further showers and thunderstorms on Thursday last week led to floods to parts of Portugal where an older couple perished in the city of Lisbon after floodwaters from the swollen Tagus flooded their dwelling as they rested.

Tempestuous weather lasted through the weekend, with a twister tearing through a outdoor lodging area and a nearby hotel in the town of Albufeira in southern Portugal on Saturday last week, fatally injuring an British woman aged 85 and harming 28 individuals.

Wider Effects across the European continent

This system triggered more extensive impacts across Europe's western part. By drawing warm air from the warmer regions, the system contributed to thermometers climbing in south-west France to 85.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the nation's all-time high late autumn reading.

By Friday, this tropical air mass clashed with a chilly atmospheric body across the northern regions of Europe, generating a band of rain extending from the west of Ireland to Russia.

In the UK, this stationary front of rain delivered record-breaking rain accumulations, causing major inundations in the principality of Wales.

As Claudia loses strength in the coming days, the chilly atmospheric system will push south, giving Europe its first taste of colder weather.

Simultaneous Occurrences in California

California underwent an "atmospheric river" recently, bringing torrential rain and powerful winds that resulted in sudden inundations and mudslides in regions scarred by blazes previously in the year.

In excess of 50 millimetres of rain fell in the southern region of the state on Friday, with a further 50mm widely across the state on Saturday.

In excess of 100 millimetres of rain fell over coastal parts of the state's south in total, hitting eight inches in total in locations at higher elevations.

An atmospheric river is a plume of warm, moist air stemming from the tropical or subtropical regions.

Regions previously burned including the Pacific Palisades area and the town of Altadena endured the worst of the rapid inundations and landslides, prompting evacuations.

Elsewhere in California, a elderly male passed away after his automobile was swept off a flooded bridge, and a young girl aged seven and her parent were pulled into the ocean by large waves on the the state's central shoreline.