Storm Claudia Brings Additional Flooding to the Portuguese nation and Spain
The Iberian nations are again recovering from widespread flooding in the wake of Storm Claudia delivered heavy rain and powerful gusts last week.
The Storm's Origin and Path
This meteorological event formed from a region of depressed atmospheric pressure that had previously caused early season chilly and snowy weather through the eastern regions of Canada and the north-eastern United States in early November.
Claudia moved eastward across the Atlantic Ocean during the second weekend of November before decelerating and halting to the north-west of the Iberian peninsula, snared in a dip of an increasingly amplified air current.
Effects in Iberia
Galicia in north-west Spain was hit first, with 80-150mm of rain falling along its west coast in just a single day up to Wednesday night as a sluggish front of rain crawled across the western areas of the Iberian peninsula.
Additional rainfall and electrical storms on Thursday last week caused inundations to Portuguese localities where an elderly couple perished in Lisbon after floodwaters from the swollen Tagus invaded their residence as they rested.
Tempestuous weather persisted into the weekend, with a twister ripping through a outdoor lodging area and a adjacent hotel in the town of Albufeira in southern Portugal on the weekend's Saturday, fatally injuring an elderly British lady and injuring two dozen and eight persons.
Extended Consequences across the European continent
The storm produced wider effects across western Europe. By drawing warm air from the warmer regions, the system helped temperatures in south-west France to 85.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the nation's all-time high late autumn reading.
By Friday, this warm and humid air mass met a cold air mass across more northern parts of the continent, forming a band of rain running from western Ireland to Russia.
In the UK, this halting system of rain produced exceptionally large precipitation amounts, resulting in severe flooding in the Welsh region.
As this weather phenomenon progressively weakens at the start of the week, the frigid air will push south, delivering to Europe its premier experience of the winter season.
Simultaneous Occurrences in California, USA
The Golden State encountered an "atmospheric river" the previous week, causing heavy rain and powerful winds that led to sudden inundations and debris flows in regions affected by blazes previously in the year.
More than 50mm of rain fell in California's southern part on Friday, with a another 50 millimetres broadly over the state on the subsequent Saturday.
Over four inches of rain fell over coastal areas of southern California in total, attaining eight inches in total in areas of elevated terrain.
Such a weather system is a narrow band of tropical, saturated air stemming from the tropical or subtropical regions.
Regions previously burned including Pacific Palisades and Altadena region experienced the worst of the sudden floods and landslides, prompting evacuations.
In other parts of the state, a 71-year-old man died after his car was swept off a flooded bridge, and a young girl aged seven and her dad were dragged into the ocean by big swells on the California's Central Coast.
