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The Iberian nations are again recovering from extensive inundation after Tempest Claudia brought torrential downpours and powerful gusts over the past seven days.

Claudia's Genesis and Journey

The storm system originated from a low-pressure zone that had earlier caused early season chilly and snowy weather through the eastern sectors of the Canadian territory and the American north-east in early November.

The system moved eastward across the Atlantic over the second weekend of November before losing momentum and stopping to the north-west of the Iberian region, caught in the trough of an increasingly amplified atmospheric river.

Consequences for Spain and Portugal

Galicia in north-west Spain was hit first, with 80-150mm of rain pouring down along its west coast in just a single day up to Wednesday night as a leisurely moving system of rain crawled across western parts of the region.

Further showers and thunderstorms on Thursday last week brought flooding to areas in Portugal where a senior pair perished in Lisbon after floodwaters from the swollen Tagus invaded their residence as they slept.

Unsettled atmospheric states lasted through the weekend, with a violent whirlwind devastating a outdoor lodging area and a adjacent hotel in Albufeira in the Algarve region on Saturday, claiming the life of an British woman aged 85 and injuring two dozen and eight persons.

Extended Consequences across the European continent

Claudia had wider effects across Europe's western part. By pulling tropical air from the warmer regions, the system contributed to thermometers climbing in southwestern France to nearly 30 degrees Celsius, the state's maximum ever autumn temperature.

By the following Friday, this tropical air mass met a cold air mass across the northern regions of Europe, generating a precipitation zone running from the west of Ireland to Russia.

In the UK, this stationary front of rain brought exceptionally large precipitation amounts, leading to major inundations in the Welsh region.

As the storm continues to weaken in the coming days, the cold air mass will advance southward, providing the continent its initial glimpse of winter.

Related Incidents in California

The Golden State underwent a so-called atmospheric river recently, bringing torrential rain and powerful winds that led to sudden inundations and landslides in areas impacted by wildfires previously in the year.

In excess of 50 millimetres of rain poured down in southern California on last Friday, with a another 50 millimetres across extensive areas of California on Saturday.

In excess of 100 millimetres of rain fell over coastal parts of the state's south in total, hitting a full 200 millimetres in areas of elevated terrain.

This meteorological feature is a narrow band of tropical, saturated air coming from the equatorial or near-equatorial zones.

Regions previously burned including Palisades and Altadena region experienced the most severe the rapid inundations and mudslides, leading to evacuations.

In other parts of the state, a 71-year-old man passed away after his car was washed off a inundated overpass, and a seven-year-old girl and her parent were dragged into the Pacific by large waves on the Central Coast.