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Portugal and Spain are once more battling the aftermath of significant inundation following Tempest Claudia brought torrential downpours and powerful gusts the previous week.

The Storm's Origin and Path

This weather system developed from an area of low pressure that had previously caused unseasonably early cold and snowy conditions through the eastern sectors of the Canadian territory and the American north-east during the beginning of the eleventh month.

The system tracked eastwards across the Atlantic Ocean during the second weekend of November before losing momentum and stopping to the northwestern area of the Iberian peninsula, trapped within a trough of an increasingly amplified atmospheric river.

Impact on the Iberian Peninsula

Spain's Galicia area in the northwest was the first affected, with a substantial 80 to 150 millimetres of rain coming down along its Atlantic coast in just 24 hours up to Wednesday night as a slow-moving band of rain drifted across western parts of the region.

Additional rainfall and electrical storms on Thursday last week caused inundations to Portuguese localities where a senior pair perished in the capital Lisbon after rising waters from the bursting Tagus River flooded their dwelling as they slept.

Tempestuous weather continued into the weekend, with a twister ripping through a campsite and a close-by inn in Albufeira in the south in southern Portugal on Saturday, claiming the life of an 85-year-old British woman and wounding 28 people.

Broader Impacts across the European continent

Claudia had broader repercussions across the western European nations. By siphoning heated 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 November temperature.

By the following Friday, this hot and moist atmospheric body clashed with a frigid air system across more northern parts of the continent, forming a band of rain extending from western Ireland to the Russian Federation.

In the Britain, this stationary front of rain delivered exceptionally large precipitation amounts, resulting in significant waterlogging in the principality of Wales.

As the storm continues to weaken at the start of the week, the frigid air will move towards the south, providing the continent its first taste of winter.

Related Incidents in California, USA

California underwent an "atmospheric river" the previous week, bringing heavy rain and powerful winds that led to flash flooding and mudslides in zones impacted by wildfires in the recent past.

Over two inches of rain was recorded in California's southern part on the week's end, with a another 50 millimetres broadly over the state on Saturday.

In excess of 100 millimetres of rain accumulated over shoreline regions of Southern CA in all, attaining eight inches in total in areas of elevated terrain.

This meteorological feature is a narrow band of hot, humid air coming from the tropical or subtropical regions.

Regions previously burned including Pacific Palisades and the town of Altadena endured the most severe the flash flooding and mudslides, leading to evacuations.

Across California, a elderly male passed away after his car was washed off a submerged bridge, and a young girl aged seven and her dad were pulled into the ocean by large waves on the the state's central shoreline.