Tempest Claudia Delivers More Inundation to the Portuguese nation and Spain

The Iberian nations are again battling the aftermath of extensive flooding in the wake of Storm Claudia brought torrential downpours and powerful gusts last week.

Claudia's Origin and Path

This meteorological event originated from a low-pressure zone that had earlier ushered in unseasonably early chilly and snowy weather through the eastern regions of Canada and the north-eastern United States at the start of November.

Claudia moved eastward across the Atlantic during the second weekend of November before losing momentum and stopping to the northwestern area of the Iberian region, snared in a dip of an ever more meandering atmospheric river.

Impact on the Iberian Peninsula

Spain's Galicia area in the northwest was the first affected, with 80-150mm of rain pouring down along its west coast in just one full day up to Wednesday night as a sluggish front of rain crawled across the western sectors of the Iberian peninsula.

More downpours and stormy weather on the following Thursday caused inundations to areas in Portugal where an older couple lost their lives in the city of Lisbon after water from the overflowing Tagus River flooded their dwelling as they rested.

Stormy conditions persisted into the weekend, with a twister tearing through a campsite and a close-by inn in the town of Albufeira in Portugal's south on Saturday last week, killing an elderly British lady and wounding 28 people.

Wider Effects across Europe

Claudia had wider effects across Europe's western part. By pulling tropical air from the subtropical zones, the system assisted in raising temperatures in south-west France to 85.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the nation's all-time high late autumn reading.

By last Friday, this warm and humid air mass met a cold air mass across the northern regions of Europe, forming a band of rain running from the west of Ireland to Russia.

In the UK, this stationary front of rain brought record-breaking rain accumulations, resulting in significant waterlogging in Wales.

As Claudia loses strength at the start of the week, the chilly atmospheric system will move towards the south, delivering to Europe its premier experience of winter.

Simultaneous Occurrences in California

The US state of California experienced a so-called atmospheric river recently, bringing torrential rain and strong winds that provoked rapid flooding and mudslides in zones impacted by blazes earlier this year.

In excess of 50 millimetres of rain was recorded in California's southern part on last Friday, with a another 50 millimetres broadly over the state on Saturday.

Over four inches of rain fell over coastal parts of southern California in total, hitting a full 200 millimetres in spots on high ground.

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

Regions previously burned including Palisades and Altadena suffered the worst of the flash flooding and earth movements, prompting evacuations.

Across California, a elderly male died after his automobile was washed off a flooded bridge, and a young girl aged seven and her father were dragged into the ocean by big swells on the Central Coast.