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The Iberian nations are again battling the aftermath of extensive inundation following Storm Claudia delivered torrential downpours and powerful gusts over the past seven days.

Claudia's Genesis and Journey

The storm system formed from a region of depressed atmospheric pressure that had previously ushered in early season freezing temperatures and snowfall through eastern parts of the Canadian territory and the American north-east during the beginning of the eleventh month.

Claudia moved eastward across the Atlantic Ocean over the second weekend of November before losing momentum and stopping to the northwestern area of the Iberian region, snared in a dip of an progressively more wavy atmospheric river.

Impact on Spain and Portugal

Spain's Galicia area in the northwest was hit first, with a substantial 80 to 150 millimetres of rain pouring down along its western coastline in just a single day up to the evening of Wednesday as a slow-moving band of rain pushed across western parts of the Iberian peninsula.

Additional rainfall and electrical storms on Thursday led to floods to parts of Portugal where an elderly couple lost their lives in the city of Lisbon after floodwaters from the swollen Tagus invaded their residence as they were asleep.

Tempestuous weather continued into the weekend, with a twister devastating a outdoor lodging area and a nearby hotel in Albufeira in the south in the Algarve region on the weekend's Saturday, killing an British woman aged 85 and harming two dozen and eight persons.

Extended Consequences across the European continent

The storm produced broader repercussions across western Europe. By pulling tropical air from the warmer regions, the system helped temperatures in south-west France to 29.8C (85.6F), the state's maximum ever late autumn reading.

By the following Friday, this tropical air mass clashed with a frigid air system across more northern parts of the continent, creating a band of rain running from the west of Ireland to Russia.

In the UK, this halting system of rain produced record-breaking rain accumulations, causing severe flooding in the principality of Wales.

As the storm continues to weaken early this week, the frigid air will move towards the south, giving Europe its initial glimpse of colder weather.

Simultaneous Occurrences in the state of California

The US state of California encountered a so-called atmospheric river recently, causing torrential rain and powerful winds that led to flash flooding and landslides in areas impacted by forest fires earlier this year.

Over two inches of rain poured down in California's southern part on Friday, with a another 50 millimetres across extensive areas of California on Saturday last.

More than 100mm of rain fell over coastal parts of southern California in aggregate, attaining 200mm overall in locations at higher elevations.

Such a weather system is a plume of warm, moist air coming from the tropical or subtropical regions.

Burn scar areas including Pacific Palisades and the town of Altadena experienced the most intense the flash flooding and earth movements, forcing residents to flee.

In other parts of the state, a man in his seventies passed away after his automobile was carried away from a flooded bridge, and a child of seven years and her father were pulled into the ocean by powerful waves on the California's Central Coast.