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Portugal and Spain are once more dealing with the consequences of widespread flooding following Storm Claudia brought heavy rain and strong winds the previous week.

The Storm's Genesis and Journey

The storm system formed from a low-pressure zone that had previously driven early season chilly and snowy weather through the eastern regions of the Canadian territory and the north-eastern United States in early November.

This storm journeyed east across the Atlantic in the middle of the second week of November before decelerating and halting to the north-west of the Iberian peninsula, snared in a dip of an increasingly amplified jet stream.

Consequences for Iberia

Spain's Galicia area in the northwest was hit first, with three to six inches of rain pouring down along its western coastline in just 24 hours up to Wednesday evening as a sluggish front of rain pushed across western parts of the region.

Further showers and thunderstorms on the following Thursday caused inundations to parts of Portugal where a senior pair perished in Lisbon after floodwaters from the swollen Tagus entered their home as they rested.

Unsettled atmospheric states lasted through the weekend, with a tornado devastating a outdoor lodging area and a nearby hotel in Albufeira in the Algarve region on Saturday, fatally injuring an British woman aged 85 and harming two dozen and eight persons.

Wider Effects across the European continent

Claudia had broader repercussions across the western European nations. By siphoning heated air from the warmer regions, the system contributed to thermometers climbing in south-west France to 85.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the country's highest recorded November temperature.

By Friday, this tropical air mass collided with a frigid air system across more northern parts of the continent, generating a precipitation zone running from Ireland's west to Russia.

In the Britain, this stalling band of rain delivered record-breaking rain accumulations, resulting in major inundations in Wales.

As the storm continues to weaken early this week, the chilly atmospheric system will advance southward, delivering to Europe its initial glimpse of winter.

Simultaneous Occurrences in the state of California

The US state of California underwent a plume of tropical moisture recently, bringing torrential rain and powerful winds that led to sudden inundations and landslides in areas impacted by wildfires earlier this year.

More than 50mm of rain was recorded in California's southern part on Friday, with a another 50 millimetres widely across the state on Saturday last.

Over four inches of rain was deposited on coastal areas of southern California in total, hitting eight inches in total in spots on high ground.

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

Locations with fire damage including Palisades and Altadena region experienced the most severe the sudden floods and earth movements, forcing residents to flee.

Across California, a 71-year-old man lost his life after his vehicle was washed off a inundated overpass, and a young girl aged seven and her parent were pulled into the sea by big swells on the California's Central Coast.