Thursday marks one year since Michael made landfall in Florida

Michael wa the fourth Category 5 storm to make landfall in the Continental U.S.

ROANOKE, Va. – Hurricane Michael is a storm that many would like to forget, including in our area. On this day in 2018, however, it was only beginning its journey up the East Coast. 

This radar image you see below is one that no one ever wants to see; the eye of a furious, Category 5 storm coming on land. 

Michael made landfall around 1:30 p.m. on October 10, 2018.

Mexico Beach was left devastated, after having dealt with sustained winds of 160 mph. For example, cars that race at Martinsville Speedway move at a slower speed than that. 

Michael was only the fourth Category 5 storm to make landfall in the Continental U.S. The other three were Andrew in 1992, Camille in 1969 and the Labor Day hurricane of 1935. 

As Michael moved up the East Coast, its impacts were still felt here. Danville saw its wettest day on record on October 11, 2018. That's when six inches of rain fell during the day. The flooding was enough to kill five people in Virginia. 

It goes to show that the category of a storm on the Saffir Simpson scale doesn't always tell the whole story. 

StormTeam 10 continues to work hard throughout the rest of the Atlantic hurricane season to let you know of any possible storms and/or their impacts.


About the Author:

Meteorologist Chris Michaels is an American Meteorological Society (AMS) Certified Broadcaster, forecasting weather conditions in southwest Virginia on WSLS 10 News from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays on Virginia Today.