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The Iberian nations are again recovering from extensive inundation in the wake of Tempest Claudia unleashed heavy rain and powerful gusts the previous week.

The Storm's Genesis and Journey

This meteorological event originated from a region of depressed atmospheric pressure that had beforehand caused unseasonably early chilly and snowy weather through the eastern regions of Canada and the American north-east at the start of November.

This storm tracked eastwards across the Atlantic Ocean during the second weekend of November before slowing and stalling to the north-west of the Spanish and Portuguese landmass, trapped within a trough of an increasingly amplified jet stream.

Impact on Spain and Portugal

Galicia in north-west Spain was initially impacted, with 80-150mm of rain coming down along its Atlantic coast in just 24 hours up to the evening of Wednesday as a sluggish front of rain pushed across western parts of the peninsula.

More downpours and stormy weather on Thursday caused inundations to parts of Portugal where a senior pair lost their lives in Lisbon after rising waters from the bursting Tagus River entered their home as they rested.

Unsettled atmospheric states persisted into the weekend, with a tornado ripping through 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 wounding two dozen and eight persons.

Wider Effects across Europe

Claudia had more extensive impacts across the western European nations. By siphoning heated air from the warmer regions, the system helped temperatures in southwestern France to 85.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the country's highest recorded November temperature.

By Friday, this warm and humid air mass clashed with a frigid air system across more northern parts of the continent, generating a band of rain extending from the west of Ireland to Russia.

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

As Claudia progressively weakens in the coming days, the frigid air will advance southward, providing the continent its initial glimpse of the winter season.

Simultaneous Occurrences in the state of California

California underwent a so-called atmospheric river recently, causing heavy rain and strong winds that resulted in rapid flooding and debris flows in zones affected by forest fires previously in the year.

More than 50mm of rain poured down in California's southern part on last Friday, with a another 50 millimetres broadly over the state on Saturday last.

Over four inches of rain was deposited on coastal parts of southern California in aggregate, attaining 200mm overall in spots on high ground.

This meteorological feature is a narrow band of warm, moist air stemming from the equatorial or near-equatorial zones.

Burn scar areas including the Pacific Palisades area and Altadena region endured the most intense the flash flooding and mudslides, leading to evacuations.

In other parts of the state, a 71-year-old man died after his car was swept off a flooded bridge, and a seven-year-old girl and her parent were swept into the ocean by powerful waves on the California's Central Coast.