Cyclone Anatol


Anatol is the name given by the Free University of Berlin to a powerful winter storm that hit Denmark, Southwest Sweden, and Northern Germany on December 3, 1999. The storm had sustained winds of 146 km/h and wind gusts of up to 184 km/h, equivalent to an intense category 1 hurricane, which is unusually strong for storms in northern Europe. The storm caused 20 fatalities, and over 800 injuries in Denmark.
According to the Danish Meteorological Institute, the storm is estimated to have caused damage in Denmark of DKK 15 billion, or about US$3 billion. Storms causing damage of this magnitude are only expected every 500 years in Denmark.
The storm is referred to as a hurricane in Scandinavia and Germany even if it was, in fact, a European windstorm.