Abstract. Storm Anatol impacted the North Sea and northern Europe
on 3–4 December 1999. It brought hurricane force winds to Denmark and
northern Germany, and high winds also in Sweden and countries around the
Baltic Sea. For many meteorological stations in Denmark, the wind speeds
were the highest on record and the storm was ranked as a century event. The
storm impacts included extensive forest damage, fatalities, hundreds of
injuries, power outages, transportation interruptions, as well as storm
surge flooding on the west coast of Denmark. Strongly committed to wind
energy, Denmark lost 13 onshore wind turbines destroyed during the storm. An
important industry insurer noted that this was a remarkably low number,
considering the storm intensity and the large number of turbines
(>3500) installed in the country. In 1999, offshore wind energy
was just getting started in Europe, and the storm provided an important test
of environmental extreme conditions impacting offshore infrastructure. This
contribution takes a closer look at the regional met-ocean conditions during
the storm. A brief overview is made of the wind field and available wave
measurements from the North Sea. An examination is made of water level
measurements from around the North Sea to characterize the storm surge and
identify possible meteo-tsunamis and infragravity waves. Offshore accidents
are briefly discussed to assess if there had been unusual wave strikes on
shipping or platforms. At the time of the storm in 1999, there was a growing
awareness in the scientific community of possible changes in ambient sea
state conditions and the increasing threat of rogue waves. The offshore wind
energy community had become aware from the impact of rogue waves from damage
at the research platform FINO1 in the southern North Sea during severe
storms in 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2013. Storm Anatol may have been another
rogue wave storm at an earlier stage of offshore wind energy development.