NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Franklin, WV
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
12 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Franklin, West Virginia since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isabel in 2003. Since 1950, 5 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 11
- Tornadoes
- 5
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Franklin
The strongest storm to pass near Franklin was an unnamed storm in 1893, a Category 1 hurricane with 76 mph winds when its centre passed 66 miles away. The record near Franklin begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Isabel in 2003, a tropical storm 20 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 3 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 12 systems, one has come since 2000. Franklin has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 83% of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site. The highest rating among the 5 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 28, 2011, came within 20 miles. Of the 5, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and one has come since 2000. Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 93% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Franklin. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 25 times since 1991, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 88% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 13 | 66 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
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
- 2010s1
- 1990s1
- 1980s1
- 1970s1
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2011 | EF2 | 20 mi | 33.51 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 1980 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1970 | F1 | 5 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 1998 | F0 | 7 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 1967 | F0 | 24 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 5 of 5, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Franklin
The Storm Prediction Center has 25 hail reports within 10 miles of Franklin since 1991, made on 20 separate days. Of these, 17 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on May 13, 2014. The most recent report is from April 15, 2024. July has the most reports, 7.
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 2 NE, WV, 2 miles northeast of Franklin at 1,900 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 22°F. July is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.1 inches; the year adds up to 38.5 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 53% of the year's precipitation (20.5 of 38.5 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 12 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal September there has highs of 77°F and 3.8 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 15 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 124 nights a year. Snowfall averages 26.7 inches a year, most of it in January and February. That 38.5 inches is more than at 4 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (5%). Petersburg, 24 miles northeast, has its own station (Petersburg, WV): 40.4 inches a year, 1.9 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 22 | 2.5 | 6 | 8.1 |
| Feb | 47 | 23 | 2.1 | 5 | 8.1 |
| Mar | 55 | 30 | 3.2 | 7 | 3.5 |
| Apr | 67 | 38 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 74 | 48 | 4.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 55 | 3.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 59 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 58 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 51 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 41 | 2.6 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 56 | 32 | 2.4 | 5 | 1.2 |
| Dec | 46 | 25 | 2.6 | 6 | 5.8 |
| Year | 65 | 40 | 38.5 | 75 | 26.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Franklin 2 NE, WV (1,900 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 64 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Franklin: 42 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods and 11 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $116,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 29, 2012. June has had the most flash floods, 4 of 11. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 24 have had fewer than Franklin.
July 17, 2021: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Franklin — 1 injured, $25,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous trees, wires, and branches were blown down in and around Brandywine. A tree blew through the windshield of a truck resulting in one injury.”
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 26807 have filed 14 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $210,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 86% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 131 West Virginia cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 13 have fewer than Franklin.
Pendleton County, which includes Franklin, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 5 floods, 4 hurricanes, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on August 3, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Pendleton County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for tornadoes, hail, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.8 million a year, the 36th highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.6 million (88%), 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
- Petersburg, WV24 mi
- Dayton, VA24 mi
- Mount Solon, VA25 mi
- Bridgewater, VA26 mi
- Broadway, VA29 mi
- Harrisonburg, VA29 mi
- Churchville, VA29 mi
- Mount Crawford, VA31 mi
- Timberville, VA31 mi
- Maysville, WV31 mi
- Beverly, WV32 mi
- Elkins, WV33 mi
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