🔗 Share this article

Portugal and Spain are once more dealing with the consequences of widespread inundation following Tempest Claudia unleashed torrential downpours and strong winds over the past seven days.

The Storm's Genesis and Journey

This meteorological event formed from an area of low pressure that had beforehand caused unseasonably early cold and snowy conditions through the eastern regions of Canada and the north-eastern United States during the beginning of the eleventh month.

This storm journeyed east across the Atlantic in the middle of the second week of November before losing momentum and stopping to the north-west of the Spanish and Portuguese landmass, caught in the trough of an progressively more wavy atmospheric river.

Consequences for the Iberian Peninsula

Galicia in north-west Spain was hit first, 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 slow-moving band of rain drifted across the western areas of the Iberian peninsula.

Further showers and thunderstorms on the following Thursday caused inundations to parts of Portugal where an older couple perished in Lisbon after rising waters from the bursting Tagus River entered their home as they rested.

Unsettled atmospheric states lasted through the weekend, with a tornado tearing through a campsite and a close-by inn in the town of Albufeira in the Algarve region on the weekend's Saturday, fatally injuring an elderly British lady and injuring 28 individuals.

Extended Consequences across Europe

Claudia had wider effects across western Europe. By pulling tropical air from the warmer regions, the system contributed to thermometers climbing in south-west France to 29.8C (85.6F), the country's highest recorded autumn temperature.

By Friday, this hot and moist atmospheric body clashed with a frigid air system across the northern regions of the continent, creating a precipitation zone running from Ireland's west to Russia.

In the UK, this stalling band of rain produced record-breaking rain accumulations, resulting in severe flooding in Wales.

As the storm continues to weaken at the start of the week, the chilly atmospheric system will advance southward, providing the continent its premier experience of colder weather.

Parallel Events in California

The Golden State encountered a so-called atmospheric river recently, causing heavy rain and powerful winds that provoked flash flooding and landslides in zones impacted by blazes in the recent past.

In excess of 50 millimetres of rain fell in southern California on last Friday, with a further 50mm across extensive areas of California on the subsequent Saturday.

More than 100mm of rain accumulated over coastal areas of the state's south in total, hitting a full 200 millimetres in areas of elevated terrain.

This meteorological feature is a concentrated stream of warm, moist air coming from the equatorial or near-equatorial zones.

Regions previously burned including Pacific Palisades and Altadena suffered the most severe the rapid inundations and earth movements, prompting evacuations.

In other parts of the state, a 71-year-old man lost his life after his vehicle was swept off a flooded bridge, and a young girl aged seven and her dad were pulled into the ocean by large waves on the California's Central Coast.