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Portugal and Spain are once more recovering from extensive flooding after Storm Claudia delivered torrential downpours and strong winds the previous week.

Claudia's Genesis and Journey

This meteorological event formed from a region of depressed atmospheric pressure that had beforehand ushered in early season chilly and snowy weather through the eastern sectors of Canada and the American north-east in early November.

This storm journeyed east across the Atlantic Ocean in the middle of the second week of November before decelerating and halting to the northwestern area of the Iberian region, caught in the trough of an ever more meandering jet stream.

Impact on Spain and Portugal

The northwestern Spanish region of Galicia was hit first, with three to six inches of rain pouring down along its Atlantic coast in just 24 hours up to the evening of Wednesday as a slow-moving band of rain pushed across the western areas of the peninsula.

Additional rainfall and electrical storms on the following Thursday led to floods to areas in Portugal where an older couple lost their lives in the city of Lisbon after water from the overflowing Tagus River invaded their residence as they were asleep.

Tempestuous weather continued into the weekend, with a violent whirlwind tearing through a outdoor lodging area and a nearby hotel in the town of Albufeira in Portugal's south on the weekend's Saturday, fatally injuring an elderly British lady and wounding two dozen and eight persons.

Extended Consequences across Europe

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

By Friday, this warm and humid air mass met a cold air mass across the northern areas of Europe, creating a band of rain running from Ireland's west to Russia.

In the United Kingdom, this halting system of rain delivered exceptionally large precipitation amounts, causing significant waterlogging in Wales.

As Claudia loses strength early this week, the chilly atmospheric system will move towards the south, delivering to Europe its first taste of winter.

Simultaneous Occurrences in the state of California

The US state of California encountered a so-called atmospheric river last week, causing torrential rain and strong winds that led to rapid flooding and mudslides in areas impacted by forest fires earlier this year.

In excess of 50 millimetres of rain fell in the southern region of the state on last Friday, with a further 50mm broadly over the state on Saturday.

In excess of 100 millimetres of rain was deposited on coastal parts of southern California in all, reaching a full 200 millimetres in spots on high ground.

This meteorological feature is a plume of hot, humid air originating from the equatorial or near-equatorial zones.

Regions previously burned including Palisades and the town of Altadena endured the most severe the flash flooding and landslides, prompting evacuations.

In other parts of the state, a man in his seventies died after his car was carried away from a flooded bridge, and a seven-year-old girl and her dad were swept into the ocean by powerful waves on the California's Central Coast.