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Once again, Portugal and Spain find themselves recovering from widespread flooding in the wake of Storm Claudia unleashed torrential downpours and strong winds last week.

Claudia's Origin and Path

The storm system originated from a region of depressed atmospheric pressure that had beforehand caused unseasonably early chilly and snowy weather through the eastern regions of the Canadian territory and the north-eastern US at the start of November.

The system journeyed east across the Atlantic Ocean over the second weekend of November before decelerating and halting to the northwestern area of the Iberian region, caught in the trough of an progressively more wavy air current.

Effects in the Iberian Peninsula

The northwestern Spanish region of Galicia was hit first, with three to six inches of rain falling along its western coastline in just 24 hours up to Wednesday evening as a sluggish front of rain crawled across the western sectors of the region.

Additional rainfall and electrical storms on Thursday last week led to floods to Portuguese localities where a senior pair died in Lisbon after floodwaters from the swollen Tagus flooded their dwelling as they slept.

Tempestuous weather persisted into the weekend, with a tornado devastating a campsite and a close-by inn in Albufeira in Portugal's south on the weekend's Saturday, killing an elderly British lady and harming 28 people.

Broader Impacts across the European continent

Claudia had broader repercussions across western Europe. By pulling tropical air from the warmer regions, the system assisted in raising temperatures in south-west France to 85.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the state's maximum ever November temperature.

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 stretching from western Ireland to Russia.

In the United Kingdom, this stationary front of rain brought record-breaking rain accumulations, causing significant waterlogging in Wales.

As Claudia continues to weaken early this week, the cold air mass will push south, providing the continent its initial glimpse of winter.

Simultaneous Occurrences in California

The Golden State experienced an "atmospheric river" last week, causing heavy rain and powerful winds that resulted in rapid flooding and debris flows in regions scarred by wildfires in the recent past.

In excess of 50 millimetres of rain fell in California's southern part on Friday, with a further 50mm across extensive areas of California on Saturday last.

Over four inches of rain fell over coastal parts of Southern CA in total, hitting a full 200 millimetres in areas of elevated terrain.

This meteorological feature is a concentrated stream of tropical, saturated air originating from the equatorial or near-equatorial zones.

Locations with fire damage including Pacific Palisades and Altadena endured the worst of the flash flooding and mudslides, prompting evacuations.

Across California, a man in his seventies died after his vehicle was washed off a inundated overpass, and a child of seven years and her parent were dragged into the ocean by powerful waves on the California's Central Coast.