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Once again, Portugal and Spain find themselves battling the aftermath of widespread flooding in the wake of Storm Claudia unleashed torrential downpours and powerful gusts last week.

The Storm's Origin and Path

This weather system originated from an area of low pressure that had earlier driven unseasonably early chilly and snowy weather through the eastern regions of Canada and the north-eastern US in early November.

This storm moved eastward across the Atlantic Ocean during the second weekend of November before slowing and stalling to the northwestern area of the Iberian peninsula, trapped within a trough of an progressively more wavy jet stream.

Impact on Iberia

Galicia in north-west Spain was the first affected, with 80-150mm 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 drifted across the western areas of the Iberian peninsula.

More downpours and stormy weather on the following Thursday caused inundations to Portuguese localities where an elderly couple lost their lives in Lisbon after floodwaters from the swollen Tagus entered their home as they were asleep.

Tempestuous weather lasted through the weekend, with a tornado tearing through a campsite and a close-by inn in the town of Albufeira in the Algarve region on Saturday last week, fatally injuring an elderly British lady and wounding 28 people.

Wider Effects across Europe

This system triggered more extensive impacts across Europe's western part. By drawing warm air from the subtropics, the system contributed to thermometers climbing in south-west France to nearly 30 degrees Celsius, the nation's all-time high November temperature.

By last Friday, this tropical air mass clashed with a frigid air system across the northern regions of Europe, forming a precipitation zone stretching from Ireland's west to the Russian Federation.

In the UK, this stalling band of rain delivered record-breaking rain accumulations, leading to significant waterlogging in Wales.

As this weather phenomenon loses strength at the start of the week, the frigid air will move towards the south, giving Europe its initial glimpse of winter.

Related Incidents in the state of California

The Golden State underwent an "atmospheric river" recently, delivering torrential rain and high-velocity gusts that led to rapid flooding and landslides in areas scarred by wildfires earlier this year.

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

More than 100mm of rain was deposited on shoreline regions of the state's south in aggregate, hitting 200mm overall in locations at higher elevations.

Such a weather system is a narrow band of warm, moist air stemming from the equatorial or near-equatorial zones.

Burn scar areas including Pacific Palisades and the town of Altadena experienced the most severe the flash flooding and earth movements, leading to evacuations.

Elsewhere in California, a man in his seventies died after his automobile was carried away from a flooded bridge, and a child of seven years and her parent were dragged into the sea by powerful waves on the California's Central Coast.