Franklin (city), Virginia
City storm and disaster record · FIPS 51620 · population 8,180 · 8 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 81 records for Franklin (city), Virginia from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 70 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (27 records). The most damaging was the October 7, 2006 flash flood ($6.9 million in 2025 dollars). FEMA has issued 14 declarations naming the county since 1993, 12 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Winter Storm” on January 23, 2026.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 81on 70 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 00 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $7.6Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 1strongest EF0
- FEMA declarations
- 14latest 2026
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Franklin (city) most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 27 since 1984. Census land area gives no figure for Franklin (city) under this code, so it carries no per-area rank.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 27 | 23 | 1984-2024 | 0 | 0 | $185K | – |
| Heavy rain | 24 | 23 | 1998-2024 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Hail | 13 | 12 | 1997-2025 | 0 | 0 | $22K | – |
| Floods | 9 | 8 | 1999-2020 | 0 | 0 | $7.4M | – |
| Winter storms | 4 | 4 | 2025-2026 | 0 | 0 | $2K | – |
| Heat | 2 | 2 | 2025-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 1 | 1 | 2014-2014 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Tornadoes | 1 | 1 | 2008-2008 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
How many tornadoes has Franklin (city) had?
NOAA records 1 tornado in Franklin (city) from 2008 to 2008, the strongest rated EF0, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.
Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 2 tornadoes whose track touched Franklin (city) since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 1: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Virginia.
Every tornado record filed for Franklin (city) (1)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-09-26 | Franklin (city) | EF0 0.1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.
When was the last damaging storm in Franklin (city)?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the May 22, 2025 hail ($10,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-01 | Heavy SnowSouthampton County and Franklin (city) · forecast zone Southampton | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-31 | Winter StormSouthampton County and Franklin (city) · forecast zone Southampton | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-07-27 | Excessive HeatSouthampton County and Franklin (city) · forecast zone Southampton | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-06-23 | Excessive HeatSouthampton County and Franklin (city) · forecast zone Southampton | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-05-22 | HailFranklin (city) | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $10K |
| 2025-02-19 | Heavy SnowSouthampton County and Franklin (city) · forecast zone Southampton | 0 | 0 | $1K | |
| 2025-01-10 | Winter StormSouthampton County and Franklin (city) · forecast zone Southampton | 0 | 0 | $1K | |
| 2016-10-08 | FloodFranklin (city) | 0 | 0 | $553K | |
| 2008-09-26 | TornadoFranklin (city) | EF0 0.1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2006-10-07 | Flash FloodFranklin (city) | 0 | 0 | $6.9M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-10-07 | Flash FloodFranklin (city) | 0 | 0 | $6.9M | |
| 2025-05-22 | HailFranklin (city) | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $10K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Franklin (city)'s most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 4 |
| Heavy rain | – | – | – | – | 3 | 4 | 9 | 8 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
Records by month in Franklin (city). The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 3 · Feb 6 · Mar 4 · Apr 6 · May 7 · Jun 11 · Jul 11 · Aug 7 · Sep 13 · Oct 6 · Nov 6 · Dec 1 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Franklin (city)
FEMA's register lists 14 declarations that include Franklin (city): 8 major disasters, 6 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (8) and biological (2).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-23 | EM-3631 | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2020-04-02 | DR-4512 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3448 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2018-10-15 | DR-4401 | Hurricane | Hurricane Florence |
| 2018-09-11 | EM-3403 | Hurricane | Hurricane Florence |
| 2016-11-02 | DR-4291 | Hurricane | Hurricane Matthew |
| 2012-10-29 | EM-3359 | Hurricane | Hurricane Sandy |
| 2011-09-03 | DR-4024 | Hurricane | Hurricane Irene |
| 2005-09-12 | EM-3240 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2003-09-18 | DR-1491 | Hurricane | Hurricane Isabel |
| 2000-02-28 | DR-1318 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms |
| 1999-09-18 | DR-1293 | Hurricane | Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations |
| 1996-01-13 | DR-1086 | Snowstorm | Blizzard of 96 (Severe Snow Storm) |
| 1993-03-25 | EM-3112 | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storm |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
How many floods has Franklin (city) had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 9 flood or flash flood records for Franklin (city) from 1999 to 2020, on 8 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Franklin (city) ranks 1282nd of 2,942 U.S. counties.
| Storm | Began | Records | Deaths in the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Matthew | 2016-10-08 | 1 | 0 |
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $5.0 million on 106 claims filed in Franklin (city); the most in one year was 75 in 2006. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1980: 2 · 1981: 1 · 1983: 2 · 1992: 2 · 1996: 1 · 1999: 14 · 2003: 1 · 2006: 75 · 2010: 2 · 2011: 2 · 2012: 1 · 2016: 2 · 2024: 1; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Franklin (city)
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Franklin (city) Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $3.0 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | $1.2M | once in about 4 years (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $35K | 4.4 a year (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Very Low | $93K | once in about 971 years (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | $131K | 6.6 modeled event-days a year |
| Ice Storm | Very Low | $18K | about once a year (modeled) |
| Tornado | Very Low | $175K | once in about 209 years (modeled) |
| Coastal Flooding | Very Low | $2 | once in about 100 years (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Very Low | $87K | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Franklin (city)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in VirginiaEvery Virginia tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind in VirginiaThe state's severe thunderstorm wind events, by county, year and month
- The Virginia recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Franklin (city)The hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Franklin (city)'s FEMA declarations (CSV)14 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis