Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Franklin, LA

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Franklin 3 NW, LA, 5 miles north of Franklin at 12 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 74°F; January is the coolest, at 63°F and 44°F. July is the wettest at 8.0 inches of precipitation on average and February and March the driest at 4.0 inches; the year adds up to 65.2 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 57% of the year's precipitation (37.3 of 65.2 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 64 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (26); a normal September there has highs of 87°F and 5.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 51 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 10 nights a year. That 65.2 inches is more than at 71 of the 81 Louisiana stations used on this site (88%). Patterson, 13 miles east, has its own station (Morgan City, LA): 58.6 inches a year, 6.6 less than here, and the same August average high, 90°F.

Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Berwick, Atchafalaya River, LA, 18 miles east, averaged 87°F in August and 49°F in January over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from June to September.

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 37 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Franklin: 29 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 flash floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $6.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on March 26, 2009. April has had the most flash floods, 2 of 5. Of the 239 Louisiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 22 have had fewer than Franklin.

Flood insurance policyholders in Franklin's ZIP code 70538 have filed 1,209 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $22.4 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Rita in 2005: 220 claims (18% of all) and $8.0 million, then Hurricane Ike in 2008 with 218 and Hurricane Lili in 2002 with 136. The year with the most claims was 2008, with 262. 74% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 219 Louisiana cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 165 have fewer than Franklin.