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The Iberian nations are again battling the aftermath of extensive flooding following Storm Claudia delivered heavy rain and strong winds the previous week.

The Storm's Origin and Path

This weather system originated from a low-pressure zone that had earlier caused unseasonably early freezing temperatures and snowfall through the eastern regions of the Canadian territory and the north-eastern United States at the start of November.

This storm tracked eastwards across the Atlantic Ocean during the second weekend of November before losing momentum and stopping to the northwestern area of the Spanish and Portuguese landmass, trapped within a trough of an progressively more wavy air current.

Effects in Spain and Portugal

Galicia in north-west Spain was the first affected, with 80-150mm of rain falling along its west coast in just a single day up to Wednesday evening as a slow-moving band of rain drifted across western parts of the peninsula.

More downpours and stormy weather on the following Thursday led to floods to parts of Portugal where a senior pair lost their lives in Lisbon after floodwaters from the swollen Tagus flooded their dwelling as they were asleep.

Unsettled atmospheric states lasted through the weekend, with a tornado ripping through a outdoor lodging area and a adjacent hotel in Albufeira in southern Portugal on Saturday last week, killing an British woman aged 85 and injuring 28 individuals.

Broader Impacts across the European continent

This system triggered more extensive impacts across western Europe. By siphoning heated air from the subtropics, the system assisted in raising temperatures in southwestern France to 29.8C (85.6F), the country's highest recorded autumn temperature.

By Friday, this warm and humid air mass collided with a cold air mass across the northern regions of the continent, generating a rainfall belt stretching from the west of Ireland to the Russian Federation.

In the Britain, this stationary front of rain delivered exceptionally large precipitation amounts, resulting in significant waterlogging in the principality of Wales.

As the storm loses strength at the start of the week, the cold air mass will push south, giving Europe its premier experience of the winter season.

Simultaneous Occurrences in California, USA

The Golden State experienced an "atmospheric river" last week, delivering torrential rain and powerful winds that led to flash flooding and landslides in regions scarred by forest fires in the recent past.

More than 50mm of rain was recorded in southern California on last Friday, with a additional two inches across extensive areas of California on Saturday last.

More than 100mm of rain was deposited on coastal parts of the state's south in all, hitting eight inches in total in areas of elevated terrain.

An atmospheric river is a concentrated stream of hot, humid air stemming from the equatorial or near-equatorial zones.

Burn scar areas including Palisades and Altadena region experienced the most intense the sudden floods and mudslides, prompting evacuations.

Elsewhere in California, a elderly male died after his vehicle was swept off a flooded bridge, and a young girl aged seven and her father were dragged into the sea by powerful waves on the the state's central shoreline.