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The Iberian nations are again battling the aftermath of widespread inundation following Tempest Claudia unleashed heavy rain and strong winds the previous week.

Claudia's Origin and Path

This weather system developed from a region of depressed atmospheric pressure that had earlier ushered in unseasonably early freezing temperatures and snowfall through the eastern sectors of Canada and the American north-east in early November.

The system tracked eastwards across the Atlantic Ocean in the middle of the second week of November before slowing and stalling to the northwestern area of the Iberian region, snared in a dip of an increasingly amplified air current.

Impact on Spain and Portugal

Galicia in north-west Spain was initially impacted, with a substantial 80 to 150 millimetres of rain pouring down along its west coast in just a single day up to Wednesday night as a slow-moving band of rain drifted across the western sectors of the region.

More downpours and stormy weather on Thursday last week brought flooding to Portuguese localities where a senior pair lost their lives in the city of Lisbon after floodwaters from the swollen Tagus invaded their residence as they rested.

Stormy conditions continued into the weekend, with a tornado ripping through a campsite and a adjacent hotel in Albufeira in the south in southern Portugal on Saturday, fatally injuring an elderly British lady and harming 28 individuals.

Broader Impacts across the European continent

Claudia had more extensive impacts across Europe's western part. By pulling tropical air from the warmer regions, the system assisted in raising temperatures in France's south-west to 29.8C (85.6F), the country's highest recorded autumn temperature.

By Friday, this hot and moist atmospheric body met a cold air mass across the northern areas of the continent, creating a precipitation zone running from western Ireland to Russia.

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

As Claudia loses strength at the start of the week, the frigid air will push south, providing the continent its first taste of colder weather.

Parallel Events in California, USA

The US state of California encountered an "atmospheric river" recently, delivering heavy rain and strong winds that led to rapid flooding and landslides in zones impacted by blazes previously in the year.

Over two inches of rain poured down in southern California on the week's end, with a further 50mm across extensive areas of California on the subsequent Saturday.

In excess of 100 millimetres of rain fell over coastal areas of Southern CA in aggregate, reaching eight inches in total in locations at higher elevations.

An atmospheric river is a narrow band of warm, moist air stemming from the tropics or subtropics.

Locations with fire damage including Palisades and Altadena region experienced the worst of the rapid inundations and mudslides, prompting evacuations.

Across California, a man in his seventies lost his life after his car was washed off a flooded bridge, and a child of seven years and her parent were swept into the sea by powerful waves on the California's Central Coast.