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Portugal and Spain are once more battling the aftermath of widespread flooding in the wake of Tempest Claudia brought heavy rain and powerful gusts over the past seven days.

Claudia's Formation and Trajectory

This meteorological event originated from a region of depressed atmospheric pressure that had previously caused unseasonably early chilly and snowy weather through eastern parts of the Canadian territory and the American north-east at the start of November.

Claudia moved eastward across the Atlantic during the second weekend of November before slowing and stalling to the north-west of the Iberian region, trapped within a trough of an ever more meandering atmospheric river.

Consequences for Iberia

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

Further showers and thunderstorms on Thursday led to floods to areas in Portugal where a senior pair lost their lives in the capital Lisbon after rising waters from the bursting Tagus River entered their home as they rested.

Unsettled atmospheric states persisted into the weekend, with a twister ripping through a outdoor lodging area and a adjacent hotel in Albufeira in the south in the Algarve region on Saturday, fatally injuring an elderly British lady and harming 28 people.

Broader Impacts across the European continent

The storm produced more extensive impacts across Europe's western part. By pulling tropical air from the subtropical zones, the system contributed to thermometers climbing in southwestern France to 29.8C (85.6F), the nation's all-time high autumn temperature.

By last Friday, this warm and humid air mass clashed with a frigid air system across the northern regions of the continent, generating a band of rain stretching from western Ireland to Russia.

In the United Kingdom, this stationary front of rain brought record-breaking rain accumulations, leading to significant waterlogging in the principality of Wales.

As this weather phenomenon loses strength early this week, the frigid air will move towards the south, delivering to Europe its initial glimpse of the winter season.

Related Incidents in the state of California

The US state of California underwent a plume of tropical moisture last week, causing heavy rain and high-velocity gusts that resulted in rapid flooding and mudslides in regions affected by blazes earlier this year.

In excess of 50 millimetres of rain was recorded in southern California on last Friday, with a additional two inches across extensive areas of California on Saturday last.

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

This meteorological feature is a concentrated stream of hot, humid air stemming from the tropics or subtropics.

Locations with fire damage including Pacific Palisades and Altadena experienced the most intense the flash flooding and earth movements, leading to evacuations.

In other parts of the state, a elderly male died after his car was washed off a inundated overpass, and a child of seven years and her dad were dragged into the ocean by big swells on the the state's central shoreline.