Tornadoes · United States · Florida

Tornadoes in Franklin County, Florida

50 tornadoes have crossed Franklin County since 1950, 28th of the 67 counties in Florida with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.5 years. They have killed 6 people and injured 9. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
50
Deaths
6
Injuries
9
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F2, June 8, 1989

The deadliest in Franklin County

  1. F2, Franklin County, FloridaJune 8, 19893 killed, 4 injured
  2. F1, Franklin County, FloridaMay 26, 19513 killed

The strongest

  1. F2, Franklin County, FloridaJune 8, 1989F2, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  2. F2, Franklin County, FloridaNovember 23, 1961F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  3. F2, Franklin County, FloridaOctober 27, 1972F2, 0.3 mi (0 km)
  4. F2, Franklin County, FloridaSeptember 20, 1969F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 30 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Franklin County. Each year links to every tornado in Florida that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20232EF0
20222EF1
20172EF1
20141EF0
20132EF0
20121EF0
20091EF0
20061F1
20041F0
20021F0
20012F1
20005F1
19981F1
199611F1
19951F0
19942F0
19932F0
19921F0
1989434F2
19871F0
19841F1
19831F1
19761F0
19743F1
19722F2
196943F2
19631F1
196111F2
195113F1
19501F1

Every tornado that crossed Franklin County

50 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 15, 20237:43 PM EDTEF0Franklin0.450$5,000
June 9, 20233:14 PM EDTEF0Franklin0.350
December 14, 20228:54 PM ESTEF0Franklin0.3210
January 15, 202212:22 AM ESTEF1Franklin2.650$75,000
June 20, 201710:15 AM EDTEF0Franklin0.450$10,000
January 22, 20172:50 PM ESTEF1Franklin2.4350
October 13, 20148:29 PM EDTEF0Franklin0.020
April 14, 20133:30 PM EDTEF0Franklin1.910$20,000
February 25, 20131:22 PM ESTEF0Franklin0.020
April 21, 201210:16 AM EDTEF0Franklin0.010
June 23, 20095:15 PM EDTEF0Franklin0.625$5,000
October 27, 20067:10 PM EDTF1Franklin1.6125$1.0 million
September 15, 20049:15 PM EDTF0Franklin5.0100$10,000
November 10, 20026:15 PM ESTF0Franklin0.150$10,000
October 13, 20011:30 AM EDTF1Franklin0.250$330,000
August 5, 20017:43 PM EDTF0Franklin0.120$10,000
September 22, 20008:15 AM EDTF1Franklin0.350$10,000
September 22, 20008:05 AM EDTF0Franklin0.330$30,000
July 31, 20008:53 AM EDTF0Franklin0.150
June 24, 20009:10 AM EDTF0Franklin0.120
June 23, 20008:25 PM EDTF0Franklin0.130
September 2, 199810:30 PM EDTF1Franklin1.060$150,000
October 1, 19962:55 PM EDTF1Franklin0.1301$10,000
November 11, 199511:50 AM ESTF0Franklin0.120$500 to $5,000
October 2, 19941:45 PM EDTF0Franklin0.110
August 16, 19944:55 PM EDTF0Franklin0.110
September 7, 199312:20 PM EDTF0Franklin0.110
August 30, 19938:20 AM EDTF0Franklin0.110
November 2, 19924:00 AM ESTF0Franklin0.110$5,000 to $50,000
June 10, 198910:55 AM EDTF0Franklin10.010
June 8, 19896:05 PM EDTF0Franklin0.210
June 8, 19896:00 PM EDTF2Franklin3.030034$500,000 to $5 million
June 8, 19895:30 PM EDTF0Franklin0.210
April 3, 19878:30 AM ESTF0Franklin1.030$500 to $5,000
November 3, 19849:00 PM ESTF1Franklin1.030$500 to $5,000
April 23, 19833:30 AM ESTF1Franklin22.040$5,000 to $50,000
March 9, 19765:30 AM ESTF0Franklin1.010$5,000 to $50,000
May 11, 19749:00 PM EDTF1Franklin0.120$5,000 to $50,000
May 11, 19746:20 PM EDTF1Franklin0.120$5,000 to $50,000
February 19, 197410:30 AM EDTF0Franklin2.010$500 to $5,000
October 27, 19722:10 PM EDTF2Franklin0.320$50,000 to $500,000
October 27, 197210:05 AM EDTF0Franklin0.310
December 21, 19694:45 PM GMT-5F1Franklin0.110$500 to $5,000
October 1, 19696:10 AM GMT-4F0Franklin0.110under $50
September 20, 196911:45 PM GMT-4F2Franklin0.1103$5,000 to $50,000
September 20, 196911:20 PM GMT-4F1Franklin0.110$500 to $5,000
June 23, 19637:00 AM GMT-4F1Franklin0.110$5,000 to $50,000
November 23, 19613:50 AM GMT-5F2Franklin2.01001$5,000 to $50,000
May 26, 195111:30 AM GMT-4F1Franklin0.1103$50,000 to $500,000
August 30, 19506:00 PM GMT-4F1Franklin0.550$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Franklin CountyThe forecast for Franklin CountyThe live radar over Franklin CountyEvery county in Florida

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.