458
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$3.6M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Franklin County, Massachusetts: 458 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 78. That places the county #145 nationally and #5 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Franklin County, Massachusetts: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Franklin County is the 2010s, when 189 of the county's 458 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Franklin County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 65.2% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #145 for this hazard and #5 within Massachusetts, putting it in the 95.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Franklin County with 154 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 2004 | GREENFIELD | 50 | 1 | 0 | $5K |
| Aug 3, 2000 | ORANGE | 74 | 0 | 3 | $20K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 14, 2026 | CHEAPSIDE | 51 | $500 |
| Apr 14, 2026 | DEERFIELD | 51 | $300 |
| Apr 14, 2026 | KINGS CORNER | 51 | $500 |
| Mar 31, 2026 | BUCKLAND FOUR CORNER | 50 | $500 |
| Mar 31, 2026 | EAST CHARLEMONT | 50 | $500 |
| Sep 6, 2025 | NORTH SUNDERLAND | 50 | $800 |
| Sep 6, 2025 | MT HERMON | 50 | $800 |
| Sep 6, 2025 | EAST SHELBURNE | 50 | $800 |
| Jul 1, 2025 | SOUTH ASHFIELD | 50 | $800 |
| Jun 6, 2025 | MONTAGUE | 50 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Franklin County
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous trees and wires were downed by thunderstorm winds across Sunderland. At least six of these trees landed on vehicles and another six landed on houses. A town administrator reported up to 27 utility poles were downed. A few of the reports received include: a tree down on a house on Old Amherst Road and trees down on Silver Lane.
Considerable tree damage was reported. Fallen trees littered roads making a few impassable. A few reports include: on Christian Lane, a twelve inch diameter tree snapped in two and two 50-70 foot tall trees were downed by thunderstorm winds. At the rest area on Route 91 and Chestnut Plain Road, several trees were downed.||According to the Daily Hampshire Gazette, at least 100 acres of tobacco plants were destroyed with another 100 acres damaged, leaving an estimated $1 million in agricultural damages. Several corn fields were also destroyed.
A NWS Survey concluded that a microburst, with winds estimated at 90 mph, began in Erving, MA and then moved across Warwick. In Warwick, trees were down on Quarry Road and people were temporarily stranded at a campground just east of Quarry Road due to fallen trees. By far, the most extensive damage occurred on Wendell Road east of the campground and on Hockanum Road in the Hockanum Hill section of Warwick. There were more than a hundred trees downed, mainly pines. Many were snapped mid-way up and others were uprooted. Local Fire Department officials indicated that a couple of homes were hit by fallen trees on Wendell Road, one of which suffered damage to the property. Trees fell in the same direction, from southwest to northeast, indicative of straight-line winds. There were many downed power lines. Amazingly, no injuries were reported.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Franklin County, Massachusetts?
458 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Franklin County between 1956 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Franklin County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Franklin County measured 78.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Franklin County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Franklin County, Massachusetts.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/massachusetts/franklin-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.