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The Iberian nations are again recovering from significant inundation after Storm Claudia unleashed heavy rain and strong winds the previous week.

Claudia's Origin and Path

This meteorological event developed from an area of low pressure that had previously caused unseasonably early chilly and snowy weather through the eastern sectors of Canada and the north-eastern United States at the start of November.

Claudia journeyed east across the Atlantic during the second weekend of November before losing momentum and stopping to the north-west of the Iberian peninsula, trapped within a trough of an increasingly amplified air current.

Impact on Iberia

Galicia in north-west Spain was hit first, with a substantial 80 to 150 millimetres of rain falling along its west coast in just a single day up to the evening of Wednesday as a slow-moving band of rain crawled across the western areas of the Iberian peninsula.

More downpours and stormy weather on Thursday last week brought flooding to Portuguese localities where a senior pair perished in Lisbon after rising waters from the bursting Tagus River entered their home as they rested.

Stormy conditions persisted into the weekend, with a violent whirlwind devastating a campsite and a nearby 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.

Wider Effects across the European continent

The storm produced wider effects across western Europe. By drawing warm air from the subtropical zones, the system assisted in raising temperatures in south-west France to 29.8C (85.6F), the country's highest recorded November temperature.

By Friday, this hot and moist atmospheric body collided with a frigid air system across more northern parts of the continent, creating a precipitation zone stretching from the west of Ireland to the Russian Federation.

In the UK, this halting system of rain brought very high rainfall totals, causing major inundations in Wales.

As the storm progressively weakens early this week, the cold air mass will push south, providing the continent its first taste of the winter season.

Related Incidents in California, USA

The US state of California underwent a so-called atmospheric river the previous week, causing torrential rain and powerful winds that resulted in rapid flooding and debris flows in regions impacted by wildfires in the recent past.

In excess of 50 millimetres of rain was recorded in the southern region of the state on last Friday, with a further 50mm widely across the state on the subsequent Saturday.

More than 100mm of rain accumulated over shoreline regions of the state's south in all, reaching a full 200 millimetres in locations at higher elevations.

An atmospheric river is a concentrated stream of hot, humid air coming from the tropics or subtropics.

Regions previously burned including the Pacific Palisades area and the town of Altadena endured the most intense the rapid inundations and earth movements, forcing residents to flee.

In other parts of the state, a 71-year-old man passed away after his automobile was swept off a inundated overpass, and a seven-year-old girl and her dad were dragged into the Pacific by powerful waves on the California's Central Coast.