Portugal and Spain are once more dealing with the consequences of significant flooding in the wake of Storm Claudia unleashed torrential downpours and powerful gusts last week.
The Storm's Formation and Trajectory
This weather system originated from a region of depressed atmospheric pressure that had previously ushered in unseasonably early chilly and snowy weather through the eastern regions of the Canadian territory and the north-eastern United States during the beginning of the eleventh month.
This storm journeyed east across the Atlantic Ocean over the second weekend of November before slowing and stalling to the northwestern area of the Iberian peninsula, snared in a dip of an increasingly amplified jet stream.
Impact on the Iberian Peninsula
The northwestern Spanish region of Galicia was hit first, with a substantial 80 to 150 millimetres of rain coming down along its west coast in just 24 hours up to the evening of Wednesday as a slow-moving band of rain drifted across western parts of the Iberian peninsula.
Additional rainfall and electrical storms on Thursday last week led to floods to areas in Portugal where an elderly couple perished in Lisbon after floodwaters from the swollen Tagus entered their home as they rested.
Tempestuous weather lasted through the weekend, with a violent whirlwind tearing through a outdoor lodging area and a close-by inn in Albufeira in Portugal's south on Saturday, claiming the life of an 85-year-old British woman and wounding two dozen and eight persons.
Extended Consequences across Europe
The storm produced broader repercussions across Europe's western part. By pulling tropical air from the subtropics, the system helped temperatures in south-west France to nearly 30 degrees Celsius, the country's highest recorded November temperature.
By Friday, this warm and humid air mass collided with a chilly atmospheric body across more northern parts of Europe, generating a precipitation zone running from the west of Ireland to the Russian Federation.
In the UK, this halting system of rain brought record-breaking rain accumulations, leading to severe flooding in Wales.
As this weather phenomenon progressively weakens in the coming days, the cold air mass will push south, giving Europe its first taste of the winter season.
Parallel Events in California, USA
The Golden State underwent an "atmospheric river" recently, delivering intense precipitation and high-velocity gusts that led to flash flooding and mudslides in areas impacted by forest fires in the recent past.
Over two inches 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 accumulated over shoreline regions of Southern CA in all, hitting eight inches in total in spots on high ground.
Such a weather system is a concentrated stream of tropical, saturated air stemming from the tropics or subtropics.
Regions previously burned including Palisades and Altadena experienced the most severe the flash flooding and mudslides, forcing residents to flee.
In other parts of the state, a 71-year-old man passed away after his automobile was carried away from a flooded bridge, and a child of seven years and her father were dragged into the ocean by large waves on the California's Central Coast.
