Abstract. Storm Xaver on 5–6 December 2013 was a serious winter
storm in northern Europe with important impacts on societal and energy
infrastructure. The storm's low pressure centre passed eastward north of
Scotland, across the North Sea and southern Scandinavia, and into the Baltic
region. The trajectory resulted in strong northwest winds and a cold air
outbreak southward across the North Sea. The resultant convection system was
associated with powerful wind gusts and freezing precipitation that impacted
the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, and
Norway. The storm caused coastal flooding that was comparable with the most
serious North Sea surge events of the 20th century. The primary impact for
energy meteorology was a large scale electrical power loss in the northern
part of the British Isles, Sweden, Poland, and parts of Germany. Petroleum
production was reduced as offshore platforms were evacuated ahead of the
storm. For wind energy, a number of onshore turbines were damaged by the
gust field. Other societal impacts included travel and transport
interruptions, building damage, forest damage, and coastal erosion. Because
of the high water levels and sea state in the North Sea, the storm was
important for offshore wind energy. The wind energy research tower FINO1
sustained unexpected damage during the storm, similar to previous wave
strikes during Storm Britta (2006) and Storm Tilo (2007). A closer analysis
is made of the tide gauge records across the North Sea to understand the
progression of the storm surge and identify high amplitude, short-period
features that may be linked to unusual seiches, meteotsunamis, or
infragravity waves. Similar to previous storms, there is an indication that
large infragravity waves during Storm Xaver may have had an impact on North
Sea transport and energy infrastructure as well as coastal erosion. The
review of information from different sources permits the met-ocean
conditions and resultant societal/energy impacts to be related in time and
space.
Free infragravity waves in the North Sea
