Storm Claudia Delivers Additional Inundation to Portugal and Spain

Portugal and Spain are once more recovering from extensive flooding after Tempest Claudia delivered torrential downpours and strong winds over the past seven days.

The Storm's Genesis and Journey

This weather system formed from an area of low pressure that had earlier ushered in early season chilly and snowy weather through eastern parts of Canada and the American north-east at the start of November.

Claudia journeyed east across the Atlantic in the middle of the second week of November before slowing and stalling to the northwestern area of the Iberian peninsula, caught in the trough of an increasingly amplified air current.

Consequences for Iberia

The northwestern Spanish region of Galicia was initially impacted, with a substantial 80 to 150 millimetres of rain pouring down along its Atlantic coast in just one full day up to Wednesday night as a sluggish front of rain drifted across the western sectors of the Iberian peninsula.

Additional rainfall and electrical storms on Thursday last week brought flooding to Portuguese localities where a senior pair perished in the capital Lisbon after rising waters from the bursting Tagus River entered their home as they rested.

Tempestuous weather persisted into the weekend, with a tornado devastating a campsite and a nearby hotel in Albufeira in southern Portugal on the weekend's Saturday, claiming the life of an elderly British lady and injuring two dozen and eight persons.

Extended Consequences across the European continent

The storm produced wider effects across the western European nations. By drawing warm air from the warmer regions, the system helped temperatures in France's south-west to 85.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the state's maximum ever autumn temperature.

By last Friday, this tropical air mass met a frigid air system across the northern areas of Europe, generating a rainfall belt extending from western Ireland to Russia.

In the Britain, this halting system of rain delivered very high rainfall totals, resulting in major inundations in the Welsh region.

As the storm loses strength at the start of the week, the cold air mass will push south, providing the continent its first taste of the winter season.

Related Incidents in California, USA

The Golden State experienced a plume of tropical moisture recently, bringing intense precipitation and powerful winds that resulted in flash flooding and debris flows in zones scarred by blazes in the recent past.

More than 50mm of rain was recorded in the southern region of the state on the week's end, with a additional two inches broadly over the state on the subsequent Saturday.

More than 100mm of rain accumulated over coastal parts of Southern CA in all, reaching eight inches in total in areas of elevated terrain.

This meteorological feature is a narrow band of tropical, saturated air coming from the tropical or subtropical regions.

Regions previously burned including Pacific Palisades and the town of Altadena endured the most intense the flash flooding and landslides, leading to evacuations.

Across California, a man in his seventies passed away after his automobile was carried away from a flooded bridge, and a seven-year-old girl and her dad were dragged into the sea by large waves on the Central Coast.