Franklin County, New York severe weather history spans 322 recorded events between 1961 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 68.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,651 nationally and #49 in New York.
322
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$21.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Franklin County, New York severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Franklin County, New York severe weather history averages 5.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 113 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 25 events fall before 1990 and 297 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $15.6M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Franklin County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 220 | 0 | $3.2M | 75 | 1961–2025 |
| Hail | 46 | 0 | $23K | 1.75 | 1989–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 26 | 0 | $2.4M | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Flood | 15 | 0 | $15.6M | 0 | 2010–2024 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 | 0 | $15K | 0 | 2002–2005 |
| Tornado | 2 | 0 | $260K | F1 | 1986–2004 |
| Strong Wind | 2 | 0 | $0 | 30 | 1996–2001 |
Decade by decade
Franklin County, New York severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
2 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 2 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986-07-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-06-01 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Franklin County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 4, 2023 | Lightning | MOODY | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Sep 28, 2003 | Lightning | SARANAC LAKE | 0 | 1 | $5K |
| Jul 9, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Saranac Lake | 0 | 1 | $500K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Runoff from heavy rain and snowmelt caused flooding in Saranac Lake Village. Flooding was compounded by upstream releases from locks on Oseetah Lake, which flooded downstream Lake Flower at Saranac Lake Village. Businesses and homes were evacuated, and bridges and the village wastewater treatment plant were damaged.
Flooding from heavy rainfall forced the closure of several roads throughout Franklin County NY in Duane Center, Bangor, Malone, Dickinson, Burke, Hogansburg, and Bombay. Flooding began late evening on June 11 with small streams and overflowing ditches washing out roads and culverts. On June 12 flooding transitioned into the larger rivers such as the Salmon, Little Salmon, and the Trout Rivers. There were evacuations of homes in Fort Covington on the Salmon River, and numerous state, county, and town highways were flooded.
Runoff from heavy rain and snowmelt caused flooding on the Raquette River. In Tupper Lake Village, homes were surrounded by water, forcing evacuations. Route 3 was flooded in the Village and between Tupper Lake Village and Wawbeek. Flooding continued into May.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
46,696
Population (ACS)
$145K
Median home value
20
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 24, 2024 | Tropical Storm | REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | DR |
| Jul 22, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 20, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jul 12, 2017 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Jul 12, 2013 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Franklin County, New York?
322 events are on record between 1961 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $21.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Franklin County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 220 recorded events — 68.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Franklin County?
2 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 2 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Franklin County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Franklin County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Franklin County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Franklin County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 49 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Franklin County, New York severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Essex County 395
- Fulton County 374
- Erie County 790
- Genesee County 224
- Dutchess County 955
- Greene County 379
Cite this page
“Franklin County, New York.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-york/franklin-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.