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The Iberian nations are again recovering from widespread inundation in the wake of Tempest Claudia delivered heavy rain and strong winds the previous week.

The Storm's Formation and Trajectory

The storm system developed from an area of low pressure that had beforehand driven unseasonably early freezing temperatures and snowfall through the eastern regions of the Canadian territory and the north-eastern US at the start of November.

This storm tracked eastwards across the Atlantic Ocean during the second weekend of November before decelerating and halting to the north-west of the Spanish and Portuguese landmass, snared in a dip of an ever more meandering jet stream.

Impact on Iberia

The northwestern Spanish region of Galicia was hit first, with 80-150mm of rain coming 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 Iberian peninsula.

Additional rainfall and electrical storms on the following Thursday caused inundations to areas in Portugal where an older couple perished in the capital Lisbon after water from the overflowing Tagus River invaded their residence as they slept.

Stormy conditions lasted through the weekend, with a violent whirlwind tearing through a campsite and a adjacent hotel in Albufeira in the south in southern Portugal on Saturday last week, fatally injuring an British woman aged 85 and injuring two dozen and eight persons.

Broader Impacts across Europe

This system triggered broader repercussions across western Europe. By pulling tropical air from the subtropical zones, the system helped temperatures in south-west France to 29.8C (85.6F), the country's highest recorded autumn temperature.

By last Friday, this hot and moist atmospheric body collided with a frigid air system across more northern parts of the continent, creating a band of rain running from the west of Ireland to Russia.

In the United Kingdom, this stationary front of rain delivered very high rainfall totals, resulting in severe flooding in the principality of Wales.

As the storm continues to weaken in the coming days, the cold air mass will move towards the south, giving Europe its initial glimpse of winter.

Parallel Events in California

California experienced a so-called atmospheric river last week, bringing torrential rain and strong winds that resulted in sudden inundations and mudslides in zones scarred by wildfires previously in the year.

More than 50mm of rain fell in the southern region of the state on the week's end, with a additional two inches across extensive areas of California on Saturday.

More than 100mm of rain fell over coastal areas of the state's south in all, hitting a full 200 millimetres in areas of elevated terrain.

Such a weather system is a narrow band of tropical, saturated air originating from the tropics or subtropics.

Locations with fire damage including Palisades and Altadena region endured the worst of the rapid inundations and mudslides, prompting evacuations.

In other parts of the state, a 71-year-old man passed away after his automobile was washed off a inundated overpass, and a seven-year-old girl and her parent were dragged into the ocean by powerful waves on the the state's central shoreline.