Franklin County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Franklin County: 1.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Claims by ZIP code

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).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the county boundary (or inside the county).
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. May 10, 1996Flash Flood$8.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Very heavy rain fell over ground that was saturated since late April. Franklin County was declared a federal disaster area as a result of total damage since late April. The damage total listed for this event is a sum total for flooding since late April. Flooding of the West Frankfort water treatment plant caused about 700,000 dollars damage.

2. May 8, 2009Thunderstorm Wind$6.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Widespread damaging winds across southern Franklin County caused lots of power outages. At the peak of the outages, 49 percent of the county was without power. A state disaster declaration was granted for Franklin County. Among the hardest hit cities was West Frankfort. Peak winds were estimated around 60 mph at Benton, but from 80 to 90 mph around West Frankfort and near the Williamson County line. Thirteen homes were destroyed beyond repair. Damage assessments indicated 184 dwellings sustained damage countywide. Of that number, 114 sustained minor damage, and 70 needed moderate repairs. Numerous trees were blown down, blocking some of the main roads. Near the Williamson County…

3. Apr 28, 1996Flash Flood$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Extremely heavy rainfall amounts of about 8 inches in less than 24 hours caused severe flash flooding. Franklin County was declared a federal disaster area. Close to 100 people were evacuated from their homes by boat. A railroad berm near the West Frankfort sewage treatment plant gave way to rising water, resulting in catastrophic flooding in the city. Very few if any victims of the flash flooding had flood insurance. All flood victims and volunteers were encouraged to receive free tetanus shots. Water was 4 to 6 feet deep in some areas of the city, closing schools and halting most traffic. At one point, the only access into the city of West Frankfort was from Interstate 57.…

4. Mar 18, 2008Flood$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Residents were evacuated from their homes and taken to a shelter. Flooding was most serious in West Frankfort, where there were concerns about the safety of the drinking water. It was later determined that no contamination occurred. The city's sewer plant was shut down after it flooded. Most of the evacuations in West Frankfort were on the northwest side of town. Two structures on the south end of town received major damage, including a large business. Basement flooding rose to the floor joists of the first floor of several structures. A number of dogs drowned in flooded pens and doghouses, while many others were rescued. In Royalton, a woman was trapped in her house for more than…

5. Feb 28, 2017Tornado$800,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This large tornado entered Franklin County from Jackson County. The tornado originally formed near Perryville, Missouri. The most intense damage in Franklin County was located south of Mulkeytown, where the tornado was rated EF-3 based on a house that was swept clean off its foundation. Debris was thrown up to a mile downwind. The debris was shredded, with nothing larger than 2-by-4 wood pieces. However, the house was sitting on a block foundation, unattached to anything. Based on the lack of any anchors for the house, peak winds were estimated near 160 mph at this site. Most of the other damage in this rural area of Franklin County consisted of snapped trees, heavily damaged…

6. Jun 19, 2015Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A large two-story house sustained major damage, losing large portions of its roof and the front porch. A small storage shed and fencing was damaged. Near the beginning of the damage path, a garage lost most of its roof. Dozens of trees and tree limbs were broken or uprooted. At least one eyewitness saw the tornado, which began in a subdivision just west of Interstate 57 near West Frankfort. The tornado moved northwest before ending on the west side of County Road 6 near the Green River. The most intense winds were at the damaged large two-story house on County Road 6. Peak winds were estimated near 110 mph there.

7. May 1, 2011Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Record flooding occurred on the Big Muddy River. At the Plumfield river gage, the river crested at 34.68 feet on the evening of May 3. This exceeded the old record set in 1961 by less than an inch. Illinois Route 148 was closed south of Zeigler, as was County Highway 11. A section of Illinois Route 149 was closed, along with Illinois Route 37 north of West Frankfort. About two dozen homes were flooded, mostly in the Mitchell Lake area of Denning Township. Between five and six feet of water entered some homes. A 62-year-old man was found clinging to a tree after ignoring barricades and driving into swift water on the morning of May 3. The man was treated for hypothermia at a local…

8. Apr 27, 2002Thunderstorm Wind$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A thunderstorm macroburst with peak winds from 80 to 90 MPH damaged numerous buildings. A few storage buildings and several weak structures such as barns were destroyed. The damage path length was about 3 miles, and the width was up to 880 yards. A lumberyard on Highway 148 was extensively damaged. Several large trees were uprooted. Two metal warehouses were damaged, a carport was destroyed, and a storage shed roof was damaged. A double wide mobile home was unroofed, and another mobile home had one side blown off.

9. Jan 26, 2009Winter Storm, Franklin$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A prolonged, major winter storm dumped 6 to 10 inches of sleet and snow north of a line from East Cape Girardeau through Vienna to the confluence of the Wabash and Ohio Rivers. This resulted in at least two dozen roof collapses and very difficult driving conditions. South of that line, at least one inch of ice accumulated, with locally around 1.5 inches of ice. This resulted in a federal disaster declaration due to widespread tree damage and power outages. Virtually 100 percent of Massac County in the southern tip of the state was without power. The vast majority of nearby Alexander, Pulaski, Pope, Hardin, and southern Johnson Counties lost power. A major 161,000 volt transmission…

10. Jun 21, 2011Thunderstorm Wind$250,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A microburst with peak winds around 90 mph caused major damage in Sesser. At least 100 homes were damaged in the small community, mostly by falling trees. The storm snapped or uprooted hundreds of trees, including about 100 in Sesser. At least eight utility poles were broken by fallen trees. A building under construction in Sesser was levelled. Some homes and businesses in and near Sesser lost shingles. Due to power outages and debris on roads, a curfew was issued for Sesser. All of the damage was in the northern part of town. An 18-foot camper at Wayne Fitzgerrell campground on Rend Lake was overturned, injuring one person. In Sesser, a man removing a tree from a roof was injured…

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

113°F2 times, most recently Jul 25, 1934

All-time low

−22°FJan 13, 1912

Warmest night

82°F3 times, most recently Jun 23, 2016

Coldest day

−3°FDec 22, 1989

Wettest day

6.70 inNov 14, 1993

Snowiest day

14.0 inJan 14, 1918

Hottest year

2024mean 62.5°F

Coldest year

1979mean 53.1°F

Wettest year

201172.12 in

Driest year

197121.85 in

Snowiest season

41.0 in1917-18

Station Du Quoin 4 Se (USC00112483), 420 ft elevation, 13.1 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1898 to October 24, 2026; 98.6% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

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).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

Neighbouring counties

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00112483.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.