Tempest Claudia Brings More Flooding to Portugal and the Spanish territory

Portugal and Spain are once more dealing with the consequences of extensive inundation following Tempest Claudia delivered torrential downpours and powerful gusts over the past seven days.

Claudia's Genesis and Journey

The storm system developed from an area of low pressure that had earlier caused early season chilly and snowy weather through the eastern regions of the Canadian territory and the north-eastern United States during the beginning of the eleventh month.

The system moved eastward across the Atlantic over the second weekend of November before slowing and stalling to the north-west of the Spanish and Portuguese landmass, snared in a dip of an progressively more wavy air current.

Consequences for the Iberian Peninsula

The northwestern Spanish region of Galicia was hit first, with 80-150mm of rain falling along its Atlantic coast in just 24 hours up to Wednesday night as a slow-moving band of rain drifted across western parts of the peninsula.

Further showers and thunderstorms on the following Thursday led to floods to Portuguese localities where a senior pair perished in Lisbon after rising waters from the bursting Tagus River entered their home as they slept.

Tempestuous weather persisted into the weekend, with a violent whirlwind devastating a outdoor lodging area and a nearby hotel in the town of Albufeira in southern Portugal on Saturday last week, killing an 85-year-old British woman and wounding two dozen and eight persons.

Extended Consequences across Europe

The storm produced wider effects across the western European nations. By pulling tropical air from the subtropical zones, the system contributed to thermometers climbing in southwestern France to 29.8C (85.6F), the state's maximum ever autumn temperature.

By last Friday, this tropical air mass met a frigid air system across the northern areas of the continent, generating a precipitation zone stretching from western Ireland to the Russian Federation.

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

As Claudia continues to weaken early this week, the cold air mass will push south, providing the continent its initial glimpse of the winter season.

Simultaneous Occurrences in California, USA

The Golden State experienced a so-called atmospheric river recently, bringing intense precipitation and strong winds that provoked flash flooding and mudslides in zones scarred by blazes previously in the year.

More than 50mm of rain poured down in southern California on the week's end, with a further 50mm broadly over the state on the subsequent Saturday.

More than 100mm of rain accumulated over coastal parts of southern California in aggregate, hitting eight inches in total in locations at higher elevations.

An atmospheric river is a concentrated stream of tropical, saturated air stemming from the tropics or subtropics.

Burn scar areas including the Pacific Palisades area and Altadena endured the worst of the flash flooding and mudslides, leading to evacuations.

In other parts of the state, a 71-year-old man died after his vehicle was swept off a submerged bridge, and a young girl aged seven and her parent were dragged into the ocean by large waves on the California's Central Coast.