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Once again, Portugal and Spain find themselves recovering from widespread inundation in the wake of Storm Claudia delivered heavy rain and strong winds last week.

The Storm's Genesis and Journey

This meteorological event developed from a low-pressure zone that had beforehand ushered in unseasonably early freezing temperatures and snowfall through the eastern regions of Canada and the north-eastern United States in early November.

This storm moved eastward across the Atlantic Ocean during the second weekend of November before slowing and stalling to the northwestern area of the Iberian peninsula, caught in the trough of an ever more meandering jet stream.

Effects in Iberia

Galicia in north-west Spain was initially impacted, with a substantial 80 to 150 millimetres of rain coming down along its Atlantic coast in just a single day up to Wednesday night as a slow-moving band of rain crawled across western parts of the peninsula.

More downpours and stormy weather on Thursday last week brought flooding to areas in Portugal where an older couple perished in the city of Lisbon after floodwaters from the swollen Tagus invaded their residence as they rested.

Tempestuous weather persisted into the weekend, with a violent whirlwind tearing through a campsite and a adjacent hotel in Albufeira in the Algarve region on Saturday, fatally injuring an elderly British lady and harming two dozen and eight persons.

Extended Consequences across the European continent

This system triggered more extensive impacts across Europe's western part. By pulling tropical air from the warmer regions, the system assisted in raising temperatures in south-west France to 85.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the state's maximum ever autumn temperature.

By last Friday, this tropical air mass clashed with a chilly atmospheric body across more northern parts of the continent, forming a precipitation zone stretching from Ireland's west to the Russian Federation.

In the UK, this stalling band of rain delivered record-breaking rain accumulations, resulting in severe flooding in Wales.

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

Related Incidents in the state of California

The US state of California encountered a so-called atmospheric river recently, delivering intense precipitation and high-velocity gusts that led to rapid flooding and mudslides in zones affected by wildfires in the recent past.

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

More than 100mm of rain accumulated over coastal areas of the state's south in aggregate, hitting eight inches in total in spots on high ground.

An atmospheric river is a narrow band of warm, moist air coming from the tropics or subtropics.

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

Across California, a man in his seventies passed away after his automobile was swept off a inundated overpass, and a child of seven years and her dad were dragged into the sea by large waves on the California's Central Coast.