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Franklin city, Virginia severe weather history spans 75 recorded events between 1984 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 36.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,978 nationally and #117 in Virginia.
75
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$4.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Franklin city, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Franklin city, Virginia severe weather history averages 1.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 35 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 1 events fall before 1990 and 74 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $4.0M in reported property damage. In total, 7 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 city
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 27 | 0 | $153K | 62 | 1984–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 24 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Hail | 13 | 0 | $20K | 1.75 | 1997–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 5 | 0 | $4.0M | 0 | 1999–2016 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $450K | 0 | 2011–2020 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $0 | EF0 | 2008–2008 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2014 |
Decade by decade
Franklin city, Virginia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-05-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-09-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Extensive wind damage was reported throughout the city of Franklin. Approximately 40 homes were damaged in an area around Clay Street, High Street, and 4th Avenue. Wind damage was likely due to a downburst. Numerous power outages were also reported.
Heavy rains associated with Hurricane Irene produced widespread low-land flooding across much of the county, including roadways which were washed out or closed. Storm total rainfall generally ranged from six to eleven inches.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
8,250
Population (ACS)
$257K
Median home value
14
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Apr 2, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 15, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE FLORENCE | DR |
| Sep 11, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE FLORENCE | EM |
| Nov 2, 2016 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MATTHEW | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Franklin city, Virginia?
75 events are on record between 1984 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $4.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Franklin city?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 27 recorded events — 36.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Franklin city?
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 city?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Franklin city, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Franklin city compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Franklin city as very low risk, placing it in the 8 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Franklin city, Virginia 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
- Falls Church city 53
- Fredericksburg city 96
- Fairfax city 59
- Galax city 73
- Emporia city 60
- Danville city 159
Cite this page
“Franklin city, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/franklin-city/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.