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Once again, Portugal and Spain find themselves recovering from significant flooding in the wake of Storm Claudia unleashed torrential downpours and strong winds the previous week.

Claudia's Origin and Path

This weather system originated from a region of depressed atmospheric pressure that had previously ushered in 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.

Claudia journeyed east across the Atlantic Ocean over the second weekend of November before slowing and stalling to the north-west of the Spanish and Portuguese landmass, trapped within a trough of an increasingly amplified atmospheric river.

Impact on Iberia

The northwestern Spanish region of Galicia was initially impacted, with a substantial 80 to 150 millimetres of rain pouring down along its Atlantic coast in just 24 hours up to the evening of Wednesday as a sluggish front of rain crawled across the western sectors of the peninsula.

More downpours and stormy weather on the following Thursday led to floods to areas in Portugal where an elderly couple perished in Lisbon after water from the overflowing Tagus River entered their home as they were asleep.

Tempestuous weather lasted through the weekend, with a twister ripping through a camping ground and a close-by inn in the town of Albufeira in southern Portugal on the weekend's Saturday, fatally injuring an British woman aged 85 and injuring two dozen and eight persons.

Wider Effects across Europe

The storm produced broader repercussions across western Europe. By siphoning heated air from the warmer regions, the system assisted in raising temperatures in south-west France to 29.8C (85.6F), the country's highest recorded autumn temperature.

By the following Friday, this tropical air mass met a cold air mass across more northern parts of the continent, forming a band of rain running from the west of Ireland to Russia.

In the United Kingdom, this stalling band of rain brought exceptionally large precipitation amounts, resulting in major inundations in the Welsh region.

As this weather phenomenon loses strength early this week, the frigid air will advance southward, delivering to Europe its initial glimpse of colder weather.

Related Incidents in California

The Golden State experienced a so-called atmospheric river last week, causing intense precipitation and powerful winds that resulted in sudden inundations and debris flows in regions impacted by blazes in the recent past.

In excess of 50 millimetres of rain fell in California's southern part on last Friday, with a further 50mm across extensive areas of California on Saturday last.

In excess of 100 millimetres of rain accumulated over shoreline regions of southern California in all, attaining a full 200 millimetres in locations at higher elevations.

This meteorological feature is a concentrated stream of warm, moist 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 earth movements, forcing residents to flee.

Across California, a man in his seventies passed away after his car was carried away from a submerged bridge, and a young girl aged seven and her parent were swept into the Pacific by large waves on the the state's central shoreline.