While the Mediterranean Sea is traditionally seen as the primary moisture source, this new scientific research shifts the focus toward the ocean. High-resolution simulations show that unusually warm Atlantic waters provided an extra flow of water vapor that traveled thousands of miles to the Iberian Peninsula.

The study concludes that without the temperature anomalies in both water bodies, total rainfall could have been up to 40% lower. Specifically, the North Atlantic contribution accounted for 15% of the storm's intensity, affecting the middle levels of the troposphere.

This phenomenon combined with a specific atmospheric configuration and local topography. The research highlights that extreme storms do not solely depend on the nearest sea's energy but on global climatic dynamics increasingly influenced by global warming.