Tempest Claudia Delivers More Flooding to Portugal and the Spanish territory
Portugal and Spain are once more dealing with the consequences of extensive flooding in the wake of Storm Claudia delivered torrential downpours and powerful gusts the previous week.
Claudia's Genesis and Journey
The storm system developed from a low-pressure zone that had previously ushered in early season freezing temperatures and snowfall through the eastern sectors of Canada and the north-eastern US during the beginning of the eleventh month.
The system moved eastward across the Atlantic in the middle of the second week of November before slowing and stalling to the north-west of the Iberian region, caught in the trough of an increasingly amplified air current.
Impact on the Iberian Peninsula
Spain's Galicia area in the northwest was hit first, with 80-150mm of rain pouring down along its west coast in just one full day up to Wednesday evening as a slow-moving band of rain crawled across the western areas of the Iberian peninsula.
Additional rainfall and electrical storms on Thursday brought flooding to parts of Portugal where a senior pair lost their lives in Lisbon after water from the overflowing Tagus River entered their home as they were asleep.
Stormy conditions lasted through the weekend, with a violent whirlwind tearing through a campsite and a close-by inn in the town of Albufeira in the Algarve region on Saturday, killing an British woman aged 85 and wounding two dozen and eight persons.
Broader Impacts across Europe
The storm produced more extensive impacts across the western European nations. By pulling tropical air from the warmer regions, the system helped temperatures in southwestern France to 29.8C (85.6F), the country's highest recorded autumn temperature.
By Friday, this tropical air mass met a frigid air system across more northern parts of Europe, creating a precipitation zone extending from western Ireland to Russia.
In the Britain, this stationary front of rain delivered exceptionally large precipitation amounts, leading to major inundations in the principality of Wales.
As this weather phenomenon progressively weakens early this week, the chilly atmospheric system will advance southward, giving Europe its initial glimpse of winter.
Related Incidents in California, USA
The Golden State experienced an "atmospheric river" last week, bringing intense precipitation and high-velocity gusts that resulted in flash flooding and mudslides in regions affected by blazes previously in the year.
More than 50mm of rain fell in the southern region of the state on Friday, with a further 50mm broadly over the state on Saturday last.
Over four inches of rain fell over coastal areas of Southern CA in all, hitting 200mm overall in locations at higher elevations.
An atmospheric river is a concentrated stream of warm, moist air coming from the tropics or subtropics.
Locations with fire damage including Pacific Palisades and Altadena endured the most severe the flash flooding and mudslides, forcing residents to flee.
In other parts of the state, a 71-year-old man lost his life after his car was swept off a flooded bridge, and a child of seven years and her dad were swept into the ocean by powerful waves on the Central Coast.