Professional Experience:

I began working with WCYB in Bristol, Va., in May 2014 and worked there as a weekend meteorologist until April of 2018. From there, I worked at WSLS in Roanoke, Va., until June of 2024 as a weekday morning meteorologist.

B.S. Meteorology from North Carolina State University. GO PACK!

Hobbies, Interests, Community Involvement:

I’ve played drums since I was three, and I love everything rock/metal. I enjoy going to shows/concerts during my free time. I also enjoy local breweries and restaurants. (Send recommendations my way!) I’m a huge baseball and hockey fan, too, so I’m looking forward to going to some Bulls and Canes games.

All of my immediate family lives in the Triangle, so I’m excited to be home. As for me, it’s just me and my chunky cat, Milli.

Likes Best About North Carolina:

I love the diverse weather and landscape of North Carolina. The fact that I can go to the mountains, the beach or hang out in the Triangle really gives the best of all worlds.

Chris Michaels

WRAL meteorologist Chis Michaels

WRAL meteorologist Chris Michaels speaks to Erik Heden, the Warning Coordination Meteorologist for the National Weather Service office out of Morehead City, about the historic snowfall that the North Carolina coast experienced during this weekend's winter storm. 


TROUBLES TODAY INTO THE DAY TOMORROW. SO JUST IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, GET OUT AND DO A LITTLE BIT OF SLEDDING. YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME KIDS ON THE COAST THAT PROBABLY HAVE NEVER BEEN SLEDDING OR EVEN MAYBE SEEN THIS KIND OF SNOW CHRISTMAS HERE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT AND HEAR FROM SOME OF OUR NEIGHBORS ON THE COAST. IT'S CRAZY. THE AMOUNT OF SNOW THAT HAS BEEN SEEN ALONG PORTIONS OF THE COAST. IF YOU SEE A FOOT USUALLY EXPECTED. &gt;&gt; IN THE MOUNTAINS. BUT JOINING ME THIS MORNING IS ERIC HAYDEN. HE IS THE WARNING COORDINATION, METEOROLOGIST WITH THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEWPORT MOREHEAD CITY. ERIC, GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. &gt;&gt; GOOD MORNING. WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU HAVING US ON. AND, YOU KNOW, THANK YOU GUYS FOR FOR ALL YOU DO. FIRST OFF, HOW ARE YOU HOLD? NOT BUY. NO, THIS IS NOT A COMMON STORM SYSTEM FREE GUYS, BUT HOUSE EVERYBODY AT THE OFFICE TOO. &gt;&gt; IT'S BEEN STRESSFUL AND CERTAINLY SOME LONG DAYS, AT LEAST WE DON'T HAVE TO EVACUATE KNOW. SO THAT IS GOOD NEWS. JUST HUNKER DOWN. STAY WHERE YOU ARE AND WILL BE FINE. BUT IT'S BEEN A LONG DAY AND THESE SNOWFALL AMOUNTS JUST TREMENDOUS IN OUR PART OF THE STATE. &gt;&gt; AND, YOU KNOW, ERICA, I WANT TO KIND OF ASK YOU A QUESTION. DID YOU KNOW? THANK YOU GUYS HAVE SEEN MORE SNOW NOW THAN SPOKANE, WASHINGTON. &gt;&gt; I DID NOT KNOW THAT. I DID KNOW THAT FOR MOST OF US. THIS IS THE MOST SNOW SINCE CHRISTMAS 89. SO HISTORIC. KNOW, I KNOW. I KNOW SOME FOLKS ARE DISAPPOINTED IN YOUR AREA, BUT IT DUMPED IN OUR AREA AND WE'RE GOING TO BE DEALING WITH IT FOR A LONG, LONG TIME. SO IT'S OR SNOW FOR THE EASTERN PART OF THE STATE FOR SURE, FOR SURE. YEAH. I MEAN, WE HAVE THE GRAPHIC UP HERE. YOU GUYS AT LAST CHECK WERE AT 15 INCHES WHETHER THE SNOWDRIFTS ALIKE. &gt;&gt; MULTIPLE FEET AND SNOW AMOUNTS ON NEWBERN. A LOT OF FOLKS IN THE RALEIGH AREA HEAD DOWN TO FEATURE CRYSTAL COAST AND THEY GO TO NEW BERN 17 TO 18 INCHES OF SNOW. &gt;&gt; THAT'S NOT AN RISK. SO TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF SNOW IN OUR AREA. AND WE HAD WIND EVEN INLAND FROM THE COAST, 30 TO 45 MILES PER HOUR. SO BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW NEAR WHITEOUT CONDITIONS FOR MANY HOURS YESTERDAY WE HAD SNOWFALL RATES OF MORE THAN AN INCH PER HOUR. THAT'S SOMETHING YOU USUALLY HEAR ABOUT IN UPSTATE NEW YORK, SYRACUSE, BUFFALO, AND IT WASN'T JUST AN HOUR OR 2. MULTIPLE HOURS YESTERDAY TO THE EVENING AND THE OVERNIGHT. JUST TREMENDOUS SNOWFALL RATES DOWN IN OUR AREA AND IT WAS AN ISOLATED. I HAD THOSE AMOUNTS OF ABOUT A FOOT TO A FOOT AND A HALF FOR MOST OF EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA, ESPECIALLY AS YOU HEAD EAST OF I-95. &gt;&gt; I MEAN, THIS IS THIS IS A STORM THAT'S GOING TO BE IN TEXTBOOKS. I HAVE A FEELING MOVING FORWARD JUST FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, SPEAKING OF YOUR PERSPECTIVE AT THE HEIGHT OF THIS STORM, WHAT DID IT SOUND LIKE TO YOU GUYS IN THE OFFICE? &gt;&gt; VERY, VERY WINDY. YOU COULD, YOU KNOW, SEE OUTSIDE THE THE SNOW BLOWING OFF THE ROOF. WE KNEW WOULD BE HISTORIC. I WAS A KID THAT GREW UP WITH SNOW. YOU PROBABLY GOT INTO IT BECAUSE OF THE WEATHER EVENT. I REMEMBER THE BLIZZARD 93 AND MARYLAND BLIZZARD OF 96. I START KEEPING A JOURNAL OF OUR 6 HOURS SNOWFALL AMOUNTS BECAUSE IT DID LOOK HISTORIC. SO WHILE SOMETHING TO BEHOLD TO SEE SNOW PLOWS AND CARTERET COUNTY, THAT'S OUR HOME COUNTY FOR THE OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEWPORT. THE SNOW PLOWS DOWN HERE. JUST INCREDIBLE. BUT YOU COULD HEAR THE WIND, NOT HURRICANE FORCE AT OUR OFFICE, BUT YOU COULD DEFINITELY HEAR THE STRONG WINDS. BUT WE DID HAVE SOME GUSTS ON THE COAST. LOOKS LIKE ONE OF THE HIGHEST GUSTS, SOME OF THOSE LOCATIONS ON THE OUTER BANKS. 58 AT OREGON INLET. JEANNETTE HERE, OF COURSE, OUT ON THE WATER. BUT 64 MILE PER HOUR STRONG TROPICAL STORM FORCE GUSTS FOR OUR FRIENDS ON THE COAST. BUT &gt;&gt; VERY IMPRESSIVE SNOW. AND WE WANT TO REITERATE LIKE YOU ALL CONTINUE TO DO. WE'RE NOT DONE. WE'RE DONE WITH THE SNOW THAT WE'RE GOING TO CLEAR OUT TODAY, BUT IT'S GOING TO STAY COLD FOR A WHILE. SO THIS SNOW IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE. &gt;&gt; DEFINITELY. IT'S A MARATHON. I'M SURE FOR YOU GUYS AT THE OFFICE. IT AGAIN. ERIC HAYDEN WITH THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEWPORT, MOREHEAD CITY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME IN THE YOU GUYS

Kaitlyn Dang

Historic snowfall settles on NC coasts with 15 inches, more than Spokane, Washington

historic snow at the beach. Jan 31-Feb. 1, 2026

WRAL viewer, Michael Warren, asked, "I would love to know how it snows in Florida and in Clinton, N.C we can only get rain. How does the cold front get to Florida before it gets here?". WRAL meteorologist Chris Michaels explains why. 

ATTENTION BEING DIRECTED AT THE COMPANY. AS FOR THIS INVESTIGATION, THE FBI IS LOOKING INTO IT. &gt;&gt; WELL, THIS PAST WEEKEND, BUT MORE SNOW ON PARTS OF FLORIDA AND GEORGIA. THEN IN OUR AREA. SO WE WERE ASKED HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN? THAT'S GET TO METEOROLOGIST CHRIS MICHAELS WITH AND SAYS SHOWING US WHY THIS COMING WEEKEND IS A DEFENSE OF SITUATION. YEAH, THIS COMING WEEKEND LOOKS A LOT DIFFERENT, RIGHT? SO THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE ON SUNDAY MORNING. THIS COURTESY OF THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. &gt;&gt; THIS WAS NEAR MACON, GEORGIA, WHERE THEY ACTUALLY COLLECTED ABOUT AN INCH AND A HALF OF SNOW. AND THERE YOU SEE THAT NARROW SWATH THAT FELL OVER PARTS OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE, GEORGIA, AND EVEN SOUTHEASTERN ALABAMA. AND IT'S MORE THAN WHAT WE'VE SEEN IN PARTS OF THE AREA SO FAR THIS ENTIRE WINTER. SO HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED THIS PAST WEEKEND. HIGH PRESSURE. OUR COLD AIR SOURCE WAS CENTERED OVER TEXAS CITY AIR THAT WAS TRYING TO COME AROUND IT WAS BEING BLOCKED BY THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS OR AT LEAST DELAYED BY THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS. WHERE IS THAT WAS NOT NECESSARILY THE CASE. THE FARTHER SOUTH YOU WENT. SO THAT'S WHY THEY HAVE MORE SNOW THAN WE DID. HOWEVER, THIS COMING WEEKEND, YOUR COLD SOURCE COMING FROM THE NORTH FROM THE ARCTIC SEA. YOU HAVE MORE COLD AIR IN PLACE WHILE A STRONG STORM SYSTEM RIDES ALONG THE GULF COAST. SO THAT'S WHY IT'S LIKELY THAT WE SEE

Why did it snow in Georgia and Florida, but not in North Carolina? 

Photo: Sandra Boucher - Hillsborough

The second you see "snow in Hawaii," you probably think, "What is going on?!" However, snow on Hawaii's highest peaks is not that uncommon.

PHOTOGRAPHED WOMEN DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE 1960'S. LAURA THANKYOU PARTS OF HAWAII WERE UNDER A WINTER STORM WARNING THIS WEEK. BUT THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN IT WAS SNOWING ON THE BEACH. METEOROLOGIST CHRIS MICHAELS SHOWS US WHY SNOW IN PARTS OF THE ALOHA STATE IS FAIRLY COMMON. AND CHRIS, I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED BY THAT. AND, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WERE SURPRISED OVER THE COURSE OF THIS WEEK WHEN WE WOULD POST TO SOCIAL MEDIA THAT THEY HAD SNOW THERE. BUT THIS ON A KID. THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE AT THE OBSERVATORY YESTERDAY AND THEY WERE UNDER WINTER STORM WARNINGS ON MAUNA, KEA AND MAUNA LOA FORECAST HAD 5 TO 10 INCHES OF SNOW WITH ICE INCLUDED. >> NOW YOU'VE GOT TO THINK THESE ARE SOME PRETTY TALL VOLCANOES WHERE THEY PEAK ABOUT 13,000 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL. SO ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE THERE, THEY ACTUALLY DO GET THEIR FAIR SHARE OF BLIZZARDS, ICE AND SNOW. JUST NOT AS FREQUENTLY AS YOU MIGHT SEE, UNLIKE THE ROCKIES, BUT ITS DUE TO THE SEASONABLE, A SEASONAL STORMS CALLED THE KONA LOWS. KONA MEANS THE LEEWARD SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN, WHICH IS USUALLY YOU'RE DRY SIDE. BUT HEY, IF AT KONA LOW IS GOING TO BRING IN SOME RISING AIR UP THE MOUNTAINS THERE, THEY'RE GOING TO GET SOME SNOW AND THEY DID. MEANWHILE, HERE ON THE CONTINENTAL US, YOU CAN SEE HOW THE SNOW IS REALLY TARGETED THEM MOUNTAINS IN THE WEST AND THE GREAT LAKES. BUT NOT MUCH HERE AT HOME. SO RIGHT NOW ON WRAL DOT COM, WE'RE DISCUSSING WHY THE U.S. SNOW PACK LOOKS LIKE THAT AND HOW SNOW TRENDS HAVE CHANGED OVER THE YEARS

It snowed in Hawaii. How often does that happen?

MAUNA KEA.png

Are you looking for snow here this Thanksgiving? We're taking you back to 1912. Only one living North Carolinian was alive at the time of the storm, but she was a baby. Meteorologist Chris Michaels dug into the archives to show us what caused this historic storm in our area.

ACROSS THE STATE OF MINNESOTA AND MORE THAN 20 OF THOSE. LET'S INJURIES. RENEE. &gt;&gt; ARE YOU LOOKING FOR SNOW HERE? THIS THANKSGIVING WHILE WE'RE TAKING YOU BACK IN TIME, 113 YEARS, ONLY ONE LIVING NORTH CAROLINIAN WAS ALIVE AT THE TIME OF THE STORM. BUT SHE WAS A BABY. SO METEOROLOGIST CHRIS MICHAELS DUG INTO THE ARCHIVES TO SHOW US WHAT CAUSED THIS HISTORIC STORE IN OUR AREA. CRIST TAKING US BACK TO 1912, 1912, SO THAT YEAR IN APRIL, THE TITANIC SUNK. THEN, OF COURSE, THE OUR OLDEST LIVING NORTH CAROLINIAN. SHE WAS 7 WEEKS OLD AT THE TIME. &gt;&gt; AT THIS STORM HIT, IT WAS SHORTLY AFTER WOODROW WILSON WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT BABE RUTH HAD NOT EVEN MADE HIS MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL DEBUT YET. SO IT'S REALLY HARD TO FIND WHETHER ARCHIVES, BUT WE MANAGED TO FIND THE WEATHER MAP FOR 1912. WE HAVE THAT ACTUAL MAP RIGHT NOW ON WRAL DOT COM. BUT IT WAS A TEXTBOOK STORM HERE IN NORTH CAROLINA WHERE YOU HAD ARCTIC AIR AND A COASTAL SYSTEM AND SEVERAL ACCOUNTS SHOWED THAT SNOW WAS FROM AMARILLO, TEXAS, TO THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE ALL THE WAY UP TO NEW ENGLAND, INCLUDING HERE IN NORTH CAROLINA. SO IT WAS KIND OF TOUGH TO RECONSTRUCT THIS MAP BECAUSE WITH WE DIDN'T HAVE THE OBSERVATIONS THAT WE HAVE NOW. BUT IT WAS AGAIN KIND OF TEXT BOOK THAT WE SAW MORE SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS AND LEST TOWARD THE COAST. BUT I'M GONNA BRING IN MY FELLOW SNOW LOVER HERE. ELIZABETH GARDNER. WE HAVE 2 TO 4 INCHES OF SNOW ON THANKSGIVING. COULD YOU IMAGINE THAT? NOW? I AND, YOU SNOW LOVERS OF THE SUPER EXCITED, BUT I WANT TO TELL EVERYBODY HOW HARD YOU WORKED ON US. I MEAN, FOR DAYS TO FILE AN INFORMATION WAS SO MUCH FUN. 1912, IS REALLY SOMETHING.

Mark Bergin

Raleigh had snow on Thanksgiving in 1912 ❄️🦃

Estimated snow totals in North Carolina on Thanksgiving 1912

The Aurora borealis put on an impressive showing in portions of the U.S. and Canada Tuesday night, and there's potential for it to strike again Wednesday. 

CALLED IT THE WILD WEST AND SAID THERE NEEDS TO BE ORDER. THE NORTHERN LIGHTS, ALL THERE ARE SO BEAUTIFUL AND BRIGHT ACROSS THE NIGHT SKY FOR MILLIONS OF PEOPLE LAST NIGHT, ACTUALLY METEOROLOGIST CHRIS MICHAELS A BARELY GOT ANY SLEEP WHILE TRACKING THE AND CHRIS, WE MIGHT GET ANOTHER CHANCE TO SEE TONIGHT WE MIGHT GET ANOTHER. YEAH. AND WHAT'S AMAZING IS THE FACT THAT PEOPLE WERE SHARING US PICTURES WITH US ALL THE WAY FROM NOVA SCOTIA IN MANITOBA TO FLORIDA. JUST GOES TO SHOW. >> NUMBER ONE, HOW SOCIAL MEDIA CAN BE A GOOD NUMBER 2, JUST HOW WIDESPREAD THE AURORA SIGHTING WAS. SO HERE'S WHY SOLAR FLARES OTHERWISE CALLED A CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS. THEY'VE BEEN HEADING TOWARD EARTH AND THEY'VE BEEN COLLIDING WITH EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD. THE STRONGER THAT COLLISION THE FARTHER SOUTH. YOU CAN SEE THE AURORA. SO WE HAD A STRONG COLLISION YESTERDAY AND ONE THAT'S PREDICTED TO PEAK AROUND MIDDAY TODAY. SO IF THE SEVERITY OF THAT STORM CAN HOLD ON INTO THE EVENING THEN. YES, WE WOULD SEE ANOTHER CHANCE SHORTLY AFTER SUNSET FOR THE AURORA. I JUST PUBLISHED THIS STORY TO WRAL DOT COM RIGHT NOW ABOUT WHY WE'RE SEEING THE AURORA MORE OFTEN WHEN WHERE AND HOW YOU SHOULD LOOK AT ELIZABETH. WE HAD THAT CLEAR SKY LAST

Ask the meteorologist: Northern Lights photos, when you can see it again

Northern lights

This year marks the 67th annual lighting of the WRAL-TV tower in Raleigh, an annual tradition that has grown to include celebrations with towers at American Tobacco Campus in Durham and Rocky Mount Mills.


WRAL Tower Lighting: WRAL lights the towers in Raleigh, Durham and Rocky Mount

Get ready for a warmer winter as La Niña makes a comeback, bringing below-normal snowfall to our area. 

Chris Michaels

Recent Work

Watch · 3:42Historic snowfall settles on NC coasts with 15 inches, more than Spokane, Washington

Watch · 1:16Why did it snow in Georgia and Florida, but not in North Carolina?

Watch · 1:24It snowed in Hawaii. How often does that happen?

Watch · 1:34Raleigh had snow on Thanksgiving in 1912 ❄️🦃

Watch · 1:08Ask the meteorologist: Northern Lights photos, when you can see it again