Oct 10, 2018
Michael was preceded by a so-called Predecessor Event (PRE) which brought moderate to heavy rainfall across several counties through early on the 11th of October. A deep moisture plume surged north on the periphery of the subtropical ridge with very precipitable water producing high rain rates. The heaviest rainfall from the PRE was concentrated in the Watauga and upper of the New River basin where the rainfall ranged from 2 to 6 inches with isolated higher amounts in the 24 hours ending at 700
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database (event 788317). Narrative written by NWS staff at the time of the event.
This event is one of many recorded floods in Wilkes County. See the full FEMA flood zone map, NFIP claim totals, and disaster history for the area.