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The Iberian nations are again dealing with the consequences of widespread flooding following Storm Claudia brought heavy rain and powerful gusts over the past seven days.

The Storm's Origin and Path

The storm system formed from a region of depressed atmospheric pressure that had previously caused early season chilly and snowy weather through eastern parts of the Canadian territory and the north-eastern US during the beginning of the eleventh month.

Claudia journeyed east across the Atlantic during the second weekend of November before decelerating and halting to the north-west of the Iberian peninsula, caught in the trough of an ever more meandering atmospheric river.

Impact on the Iberian Peninsula

The northwestern Spanish region of Galicia was initially impacted, with 80-150mm of rain pouring down along its Atlantic coast in just one full day up to Wednesday night as a sluggish front of rain crawled across western parts of the peninsula.

Further showers and thunderstorms on Thursday caused inundations to areas in Portugal where an elderly couple died in Lisbon after rising waters from the bursting Tagus River invaded their residence as they were asleep.

Tempestuous weather lasted through the weekend, with a twister tearing through a campsite and a close-by inn in the town of Albufeira in the Algarve region on Saturday, fatally injuring an elderly British lady and injuring 28 people.

Wider Effects across the European continent

Claudia had broader repercussions across western Europe. By drawing warm air from the subtropical zones, the system assisted in raising temperatures in south-west France to 29.8C (85.6F), the nation's all-time high autumn temperature.

By the following Friday, this hot and moist atmospheric body clashed with a cold air mass across the northern areas of Europe, creating a rainfall belt extending from western Ireland to Russia.

In the United Kingdom, this halting system of rain delivered very high rainfall totals, leading to major inundations in the principality of Wales.

As the storm continues to weaken in the coming days, the cold air mass will move towards the south, providing the continent its first taste of winter.

Simultaneous Occurrences in California

The Golden State experienced a plume of tropical moisture last week, bringing intense precipitation and powerful winds that resulted in sudden inundations and debris flows in regions scarred by wildfires previously in the year.

More than 50mm of rain fell in California's southern part on the week's end, with a further 50mm widely across the state on Saturday last.

Over four inches of rain was deposited on coastal parts of Southern CA in all, reaching eight inches in total in areas of elevated terrain.

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

Burn scar areas including Pacific Palisades and Altadena endured the most severe the rapid inundations and mudslides, forcing residents to flee.

In other parts of the state, a man in his seventies lost his life after his vehicle was swept off a inundated overpass, and a young girl aged seven and her father were pulled into the sea by large waves on the California's Central Coast.