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Once again, Portugal and Spain find themselves recovering from extensive inundation following Storm Claudia delivered torrential downpours and strong winds over the past seven days.

The Storm's Origin and Path

This meteorological event formed from an area of low pressure that had beforehand ushered in unseasonably early cold and snowy conditions through eastern parts of the Canadian territory and the north-eastern US at the start of November.

This storm journeyed east across the Atlantic Ocean during the second weekend of November before losing momentum and stopping to the north-west of the Iberian region, snared in a dip of an ever more meandering atmospheric river.

Impact on Iberia

The northwestern Spanish region of Galicia was initially impacted, with a substantial 80 to 150 millimetres of rain falling along its Atlantic coast in just 24 hours up to Wednesday evening as a sluggish front of rain drifted across the western sectors of the region.

More downpours and stormy weather on Thursday last week caused inundations to areas in Portugal where a senior pair died in the capital Lisbon after floodwaters from the swollen Tagus entered their home as they rested.

Unsettled atmospheric states continued into the weekend, with a twister devastating a outdoor lodging area and a close-by inn in the town of Albufeira in Portugal's south on Saturday, fatally injuring an British woman aged 85 and wounding 28 individuals.

Wider Effects across the European continent

Claudia had broader repercussions across the western European nations. By siphoning heated air from the warmer regions, the system contributed to thermometers climbing in south-west France to 29.8C (85.6F), the state's maximum ever late autumn reading.

By the following Friday, this hot and moist atmospheric body met a frigid air system across the northern regions of the continent, creating a rainfall belt extending from Ireland's west to Russia.

In the Britain, this stationary front of rain delivered very high rainfall totals, leading to severe flooding in Wales.

As the storm progressively weakens in the coming days, the chilly atmospheric system will move towards the south, giving Europe its initial glimpse of colder weather.

Parallel Events in California

The Golden State underwent an "atmospheric river" recently, bringing heavy rain and high-velocity gusts that led to sudden inundations and debris flows in zones scarred by blazes previously in the year.

More than 50mm of rain poured down in southern California on last Friday, with a further 50mm broadly over the state on Saturday.

More than 100mm of rain was deposited on coastal areas of the state's south in aggregate, hitting a full 200 millimetres in spots on high ground.

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

Regions previously burned including Pacific Palisades and Altadena region experienced the most intense the sudden floods and landslides, leading to evacuations.

In other parts of the state, a man in his seventies lost his life after his car was carried away from a flooded bridge, and a seven-year-old girl and her father were dragged into the ocean by big swells on the California's Central Coast.