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: 0.
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.

Mapped landslides

Mapped by MO DNR (4).

1. Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.

USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. May 7, 2000Flash Flood$100 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A thunderstorm complex dropped up to 14 inches of rain on Franklin County from about Midnight to 6 am causing the worst flash flooding in county history. The rain fell at a rate of 3 inches an hour from about 2 to 3 am. A joint Federal-State Damage Assessment Team conducted for individual assistance determined that 98 structures were destroyed, 68 suffered major damage, 181 minor damage, and another 32 affected. Only 11% of the affected residences had insurance coverage. Greater than 60% of the families and individuals affected were in the low income bracket. Over 50 roads were closed at various times due to flooding. Almost every stream and creek in the county overflowed their…

2. Dec 27, 2015Flood$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Between 6 and 9 inches of rain fell across Franklin County during a 2 day period. All of this rain caused the creeks and rivers to rise. The Meramec River, Bourbeuse River and Missouri River all went into major flood with several points cresting at record levels. Almost 415 structures were either damaged or destroyed from the river flooding, with Union and Pacific being the worst hit in Franklin County. Damage estimates so far were around $2 million.

3. Mar 14, 2025Tornado$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado developed at 8:56pm on March 14th, 2025 on the east side of Villa Ridge, between American Inn Road and Saint Marys Road north of I-44. The tornado very quickly intensified as it moved into a neighborhood near the intersection of Interstate 44 and US Highway 100. In that neighborhood, the tornado damaged numerous homes, making several of them uninhabitable. The strongest estimated wind speeds in this neighborhood were estimated at 130 mph, based on significant damage to three of these homes. The tornado continued to the northeast, damaging an industrial facility before moving into a heavily wooded area in northeastern Franklin county. Here, the tornado resulted in a…

4. Apr 16, 2000Hail$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Storm spotters reported 1 1/2 inch hail. Newspaper accounts later reported numerous reports of broken windows, cracked windshields, and damaged roofs.

5. Jan 12, 2007Ice Storm, Franklin$334,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An arctic boundary settled south of the area on the 12th and 13th of January bringing subfreezing temperatures to the northwestern half of the county warning area. Three rounds of precipitation occurred during this period, with the first being the most destructive of all. Significant tree and limb damage was reported as a result of this storm, together with widespread power outages. More than 100,000 homes and businesses lost power during this storm. About 1.5 inches of sleet fell and a 1/2 inch of ice accumulation hit parts of Central and Northeast Missouri. From 1/4 to 1/2 inch of ice accumulated from freezing rain across Eastern Missouri and parts of Southwest Illinois.…

6. Nov 30, 2006Winter Storm, Franklin$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A major winter storm hit Central, Northeast, East Central and parts of Southeast Missouri from November 30 through Dcember 1. Over a foot of snow fell across parts of Central Missouri while a major ice storm hit parts of East Central and Southeast Missouri, including the St. Louis area. Ice accumulations of 1 inch or more downed trees and power lines resulting in at least 300,000 electric customers losing service for up to a week. Downed limbs and trees damaged homes and automobiles across the area as well. Many rural schools were closed for several days due to slick roads and power outages. The National Guard was called out to several counties to assist with debris removal and…

7. Mar 14, 2025Tornado$148,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   At 8:29 PM a tornado began near the community of Elmont, MO, producing EF1 damage primarily to trees and one large barn. The tornado moved quickly to the northeast, and produced additional tree damage along Missouri route 185, and along Ridge Road within the Long Ridge Conservation Area. The tornado then continued northeast before ending very near Highway 47. Near the end of its path, the tornado damaged several homes, outbuildings, telephone poles and trees within the southern outskirts of Union, MO. The most significant of this damage occurred near N Bend Road, where damage to a home and barn suggested maximum wind speeds of approximately 105 miles per hour.

8. Apr 20, 2000Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorm wind gusts cause quite a bit of damage in the New Haven area. The roof of a gymnasium at a local school was blown off. Other homes suffered roof damage and numerous trees and power lines were downed.

9. Apr 15, 1998Hail$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Baseball size hail was reported in the Lonedel/Luebbering area. Wind-blown hail knocked holes in siding on homes, broke windows and windshields and dented cars.

10. Dec 31, 2010Tornado$40,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A tornado touched down along Country Club Road and produced minor tree damage. It continued to the northeast and struck Rivendell Farms, a horse farm, where it removed the majority of the roof from a large metal pole barn and caused minor injuries to one horse. Another outbuilding sustained roof damage and the residence had some shingles blown off. Also, a thirty five foot radio tower was blown down. The damage to the pole barn is rated EF1 intensity while the rest of the damage at this location is EF0. The tornado crossed Country Club Road near a sharp curve to the west. A house had shingles missing at this location as well as minor tree damage. The tornado lifted just past this point.

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

109°FAug 18, 2000

All-time low

−28°FDec 23, 1989

Warmest night

81°FJul 26, 2012

Coldest day

−2°FJan 24, 1963

Wettest day

6.39 inDec 27, 2015

Snowiest day

14.0 inFeb 27, 1984

Hottest year

2012mean 58.3°F

Coldest year

1958mean 52.5°F

Wettest year

200862.75 in

Driest year

197622.13 in

Snowiest season

39.2 in1959-60

Station Weldon Spring NWS (USC00238805), 610 ft elevation, 24.9 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1957 to October 27, 2026; 97.9% 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 USC00238805.
• 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.
• Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
• 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.