NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Franklin, NC
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Franklin, North Carolina since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 22 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 22
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Franklin
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Franklin; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 13 miles away. The record near Franklin begins with an unnamed storm in 1901; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 18 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 3 systems. Of the 8 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site, 96% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Franklin. The strongest of the 22 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF3 on April 27, 2011; its path came within 18 miles, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an F2 on April 3, 1974, killed 2 people. Of the 22, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 10 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 6. The most recent tornado was on May 8, 2024. Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 91% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Franklin. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 49 times since 1984, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 66% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Franklin.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Franklin
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 24 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Franklin: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Franklin
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s4(1 EF3+)
- 2000s1
- 1980s1
- 1970s10
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 18 mi | 36.99 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 17 mi | 24.1 mi | 2 / 11 |
| Jun 28, 1976 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2024 | EF1 | 14 mi | 1.52 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2024 | EF1 | 9 mi | 9.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 2022 | EF1 | 19 mi | 0.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 13, 2020 | EF1 | 23 mi | 3.97 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 30, 2005 | F1 | 10 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 10, 1982 | F1 | 21 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 1976 | F1 | 3 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 18, 1976 | F1 | 4 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 22, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Franklin
The Storm Prediction Center has 49 hail reports within 10 miles of Franklin since 1984, made on 36 separate days. Of these, 21 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on March 28, 1984. The most recent report is from April 10, 2025. April has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Franklin
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Franklin, NC, in Franklin at 2,125 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 26°F. January is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.8 inches; the year adds up to 55.5 inches over 92 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 6 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 108 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 55.5 inches is more than at 107 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (76%). Otto, 9 miles south, has its own station (Coweeta Exp Stn, NC): 72.2 inches a year, 16.7 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 26 | 5.3 | 8 | 1.0 |
| Feb | 53 | 29 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.7 |
| Mar | 60 | 35 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.2 |
| Apr | 69 | 42 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 51 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 60 | 5.0 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 64 | 4.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 63 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 57 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 44 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 60 | 33 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 51 | 29 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.7 |
| Year | 68 | 44 | 55.5 | 92 | 2.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Franklin, NC (2,125 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Franklin
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 66 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Franklin: 48 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 flash floods, 5 heavy rain events, 4 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on September 16, 2004. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 59 have had fewer than Franklin.
September 27, 2024: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Franklin — 1 killed, $500,000 damage.
September 16, 2004: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Franklin — 1 injured, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “A mobile home at the base of Fishhawk Mountain was destroyed in the Peeks Creek community. The home's resident was injured when debris from the collapsing home fell on him.”
July 4, 1997: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Franklin — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Extensive damage occurred near Burningtown due to trees falling on homes and vehicles. Power was out for much of the night.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Franklin's ZIP code 28734 have filed 64 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1981, and were paid $1.7 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Tropical Storm Ivan in 2004: 17 claims (27% of all) and $614,000, then Hurricane Helene in 2024 with 11. 44% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 263 North Carolina cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 159 have fewer than Franklin.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Ivan2004 | 17 | $614,000 |
| Hurricane Helene2024 | 11 | $451,000 |
Macon County, which includes Franklin, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Helene, on September 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Macon County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $24.4 million a year, the 50th highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $10.1 million (41%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Franklin
- Otto, NC9 mi
- Highlands, NC13 mi
- Cullowhee, NC15 mi
- Bryson City, NC15 mi
- Rabun Gap, GA16 mi
- Sylva, NC17 mi
- Whittier, NC17 mi
- Clayton, GA21 mi
- Cherokee, NC23 mi
- Hayesville, NC23 mi
- Tiger, GA24 mi
- Andrews, NC24 mi
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