Storm Claudia Delivers More Flooding to the Portuguese nation and the Spanish territory
Portugal and Spain are once more battling the aftermath of widespread inundation in the wake of Tempest Claudia brought torrential downpours and powerful gusts the previous week.
The Storm's Origin and Path
This weather system formed from a low-pressure zone that had earlier ushered in early season chilly and snowy weather through eastern parts of the Canadian territory and the north-eastern United States during the beginning of the eleventh month.
The system moved eastward across the Atlantic during the second weekend of November before slowing and stalling to the north-west of the Iberian peninsula, caught in the trough of an increasingly amplified jet stream.
Consequences for the Iberian Peninsula
Galicia in north-west Spain was hit first, with 80-150mm of rain falling along its western coastline in just one full day up to Wednesday evening as a leisurely moving system of rain crawled across western parts of the Iberian peninsula.
More downpours and stormy weather on Thursday led to floods to areas in Portugal where an elderly couple lost their lives in the city of Lisbon after floodwaters from the swollen Tagus entered their home as they rested.
Stormy conditions continued into the weekend, with a twister devastating a camping ground and a close-by inn in Albufeira in the south in Portugal's south on Saturday, fatally injuring an elderly British lady and injuring two dozen and eight persons.
Wider Effects across Europe
The storm produced wider effects across Europe's western part. By pulling tropical air from the subtropical zones, the system helped temperatures in southwestern France to 29.8C (85.6F), the state's maximum ever November temperature.
By last Friday, this hot and moist atmospheric body clashed with a chilly atmospheric body across the northern areas of the continent, creating a precipitation zone stretching from the west of Ireland to the Russian Federation.
In the UK, this stalling band of rain brought very high rainfall totals, leading to significant waterlogging in Wales.
As the storm continues to weaken in the coming days, the cold air mass will advance southward, providing the continent its initial glimpse of the winter season.
Parallel Events in California, USA
California underwent an "atmospheric river" the previous week, bringing heavy rain and high-velocity gusts that resulted in sudden inundations and debris flows in regions affected by blazes previously in the year.
In excess of 50 millimetres of rain was recorded in the southern region of the state on Friday, with a further 50mm across extensive areas of California on Saturday.
More than 100mm of rain was deposited on coastal areas of Southern CA in aggregate, hitting a full 200 millimetres in areas of elevated terrain.
This meteorological feature is a concentrated stream of tropical, saturated air stemming from the equatorial or near-equatorial zones.
Locations with fire damage including the Pacific Palisades area and the town of Altadena experienced the most severe the flash flooding and earth movements, prompting evacuations.
Across California, a elderly male passed away after his vehicle was swept off a inundated overpass, and a child of seven years and her father were pulled into the Pacific by big swells on the California's Central Coast.
