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The Iberian nations are again battling the aftermath of widespread inundation in the wake of Tempest Claudia unleashed torrential downpours and strong winds last week.

The Storm's Formation and Trajectory

This weather system originated from a region of depressed atmospheric pressure that had beforehand caused early season freezing temperatures and snowfall through eastern parts of the Canadian territory and the north-eastern US in early November.

The system tracked eastwards across the Atlantic Ocean during the second weekend of November before decelerating and halting to the northwestern area of the Iberian region, trapped within a trough of an progressively more wavy jet stream.

Consequences for Spain and Portugal

Spain's Galicia area in the northwest was the first affected, with 80-150mm of rain falling along its west coast in just a single day up to Wednesday evening as a sluggish front of rain drifted across western parts of the Iberian peninsula.

Further showers and thunderstorms on Thursday last week brought flooding to areas in Portugal where an elderly couple perished in the city of Lisbon after floodwaters from the swollen Tagus flooded their dwelling as they slept.

Unsettled atmospheric states persisted into the weekend, with a tornado ripping through a outdoor lodging area and a close-by inn in Albufeira in the south in southern Portugal on Saturday last week, claiming the life of an elderly British lady and wounding 28 individuals.

Extended Consequences across the European continent

The storm produced more extensive impacts across Europe's western part. By siphoning heated air from the warmer regions, the system contributed to thermometers climbing in southwestern France to 29.8C (85.6F), the country's highest recorded autumn temperature.

By last Friday, this warm and humid air mass clashed with a chilly atmospheric body across the northern areas of Europe, forming a band of rain running from the west of Ireland to the Russian Federation.

In the Britain, this stalling band of rain produced exceptionally large precipitation amounts, resulting in significant waterlogging in the principality of Wales.

As Claudia progressively weakens in the coming days, the cold air mass will advance southward, providing the continent its premier experience of colder weather.

Simultaneous Occurrences in California, USA

The US state of California encountered a plume of tropical moisture last week, causing torrential rain and high-velocity gusts that resulted in sudden inundations and debris flows in regions impacted by blazes previously in the year.

More than 50mm of rain was recorded in the southern region of the state on Friday, with a another 50 millimetres broadly over the state on the subsequent Saturday.

More than 100mm of rain accumulated over shoreline regions of Southern CA in aggregate, hitting eight inches in total in spots on high ground.

An atmospheric river is a narrow band of tropical, saturated air originating from the tropical or subtropical regions.

Regions previously burned including Pacific Palisades and Altadena region endured the worst of the sudden floods and mudslides, prompting evacuations.

Elsewhere in California, a man in his seventies lost his life after his vehicle was washed off a flooded bridge, and a child of seven years and her father were swept into the Pacific by large waves on the California's Central Coast.