47
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
9
Direct injuries
$4.9M
Property damage
Tornado in Franklin County, Florida: 47 recorded events between 1950 and 2023. The strongest on record measured F2. That places the county #432 nationally and #30 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Franklin County, Florida: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Franklin County is the 2000s, when 11 of the county's 47 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, tornado makes up 25.0% of all recorded severe weather across 11 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #432 for this hazard and #30 within Florida, putting it in the 85.1 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for tornado in Franklin County with 11 recorded events, while Feb 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.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-06-08 | EF2 | 3.0 mi | 300 yd | Crossed in |
| 1972-10-27 | EF2 | 1.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1969-09-20 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1961-11-23 | EF2 | 2.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1951-05-26 | EF1 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 2022-01-15 | EF1 | 2.7 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 2017-01-22 | EF1 | 2.4 mi | 350 yd | Touched down here |
| 2006-10-27 | EF1 | 1.6 mi | 125 yd | Crossed in |
| 2000-09-22 | EF1 | 0.3 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1996-10-01 | EF1 | 0.1 mi | 30 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 8, 1989 | F2 | 3 | 4 | $2.5M | |
| May 26, 1951 | F1 | 3 | 0 | $250K | |
| Sep 21, 1969 | F2 | 0 | 3 | $25K | |
| Oct 1, 1996 | APALACHICOLA | F1 | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| Nov 23, 1961 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 15, 2023 | APALACHICOLA | EF0 | $5K |
| Jun 9, 2023 | MCINTYRE | EF0 | $0 |
| Dec 15, 2022 | YENT PLACE | EF0 | $0 |
| Jan 16, 2022 | CARRABELLE | EF1 | $75K |
| Jun 20, 2017 | APALACHICOLA | EF0 | $10K |
| Jan 22, 2017 | CREELS | EF1 | $0 |
| Oct 14, 2014 | BUCK SIDING | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 14, 2013 | EASTPOINT | EF0 | $20K |
| Apr 21, 2012 | ROYAL BLUFF | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 23, 2009 | ROYAL BLUFF | EF0 | $5K |
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
A waterspout came ashore near U.S. Highway 98 and 26th Street. The tornado then tracked northeast through Apalachicola, and lifted near Water Street and Avenue G. A few boats at a marina were capsized. Four homes were destroyed and four dozen others were damaged. Hundreds of trees were either knocked down or had their tops sheared off, and numerous utility poles were down. The main electrical power substation was damaged, causing a citywide power outage. All telephone and TV cable lines were down. A restaurant along U.S. Highway 98 sustained heavy damage to its roof and outbuildings. An elementary school received minor roof damage. The city's hospital suffered heavy damage. A portion of the hospital's roof collapsed, winds blew out numerous windows, and two air handling units were torn from the roof. A local state of emergency was declared. Reports were provided by the Franklin County EMA and Sheriff, and damage surveyed by the NWS.
An F1 tornado touched down on St George Island. It destroyed a house at 320 Marks Street, and moderately damaged a neighboring house. Ten other houses on Marks Street sustained minor damage. Reported by the Franklin County EMA.
A tornado moved across portions of Dog Island early Sunday morning with damage to one residence reported. The roof was partially torn off with significant damage to the porch. This damage was consistent with an EF1 tornado with winds estimated around 95 mph. In addition, damage to trees and power lines occurred with Duke Energy reporting 97 customers without power on the island. A tornadic debris signature (TDS) was evident on TLH radar.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Franklin County, Florida?
47 tornado events are recorded in Franklin County between 1950 and 2023, causing 6 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Franklin County?
The strongest tornado on record in Franklin County measured F2.
Where does the tornado 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
“Tornado in Franklin County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/franklin-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.