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.

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. Dec 12, 2015Tornado$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A NWS Storm Survey team concluded that the damage in Franklin County, Texas west of Purley community was consistent with that of tornado damage. The EF-2 tornado first touched down near County Road 3250 and traveled in a northerly direction, crossing County Road 2376 before lifting after crossing County Road 3055. The worst of the damage was noted near the intersection of County Road 3170 and County Road 2376. Numerous trees were snapped and/or uprooted along the path of this tornado. Around 20 structures suffered damage including 4 mobile homes that were completely destroyed. Four of the 20 homes suffered major damage. Two people were injured in one of the mobile homes.

2. Feb 16, 2021Winter Storm, Franklin$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   On the heels of the first winter storm and historically cold temperatures observed earlier in the week across all of the Southern Plains and much of the Lower Mississippi Valley, a second significant winter storm developed across much of these areas from February 16th-17th, with areas of snow (some heavy) falling across Northeast Texas. Strong forcing and moisture associated with the next upper level trough to move atop the extensive arctic air mass in place resulted in widespread snowfall totals of two to five inches falling across Red River, Franklin, Wood, Titus, Camp, and Morris Counties, with higher amounts up to 10 inches observed across Central and Eastern Bowie County.…

3. Apr 25, 2011Thunderstorm Wind$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous trees downed on homes near Lake Cypress Springs with several roofs damaged.

4. Oct 13, 2014Thunderstorm Wind$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A severe squall line moved east into Franklin County, Texas during the early morning hours of October 13th. This line of storms produced a 70-80mph wind gust across the south side of Mount Vernon, Texas. A storm National Weather Service Storm Survey crew determined that the damage was consistent with that of a downburst. Damage consisted of significant loss of a roof of a poorly constructed small business and a partial collapse of the exterior walls. A nearby bank also experienced minor roof damage. Two 18 wheelers were overturned and there was damage to a Cefco Gas Station at the intersection of Hwy. 37 and Interstate 30.

5. Mar 4, 2025Tornado$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This EF1 tornado with estimated maximum winds near 104 mph developed within a QLCS and began along Highway 37 just north of Winnsboro in southwest Franklin County where it snapped and uprooted several trees. The tornado continued east along Farm-to-Market Road 3357, County Road 3430, and County Road 4340 and continued snapping and uprooting numerous trees as it crossed County Road 4335, County Road 4345, and began to move along FM Road 1448. Tree damage became more extensive as it approached the intersection of FM Road 1448 and FM Road 115. At this location, most of the metal roof panels were removed from a|South Franklin Fire Department building. Farther east, two homes in the…

6. Aug 12, 2011Wildfire, Franklin$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Drought conditions, afternoon temperatures around 105 degrees and relative humidity values around 20 percent resulted in high fire danger across Franklin County on August 12th. A wildfire burned 349 acres of forest 4 miles north of Winnsboro, Texas. Local volunteer fire fighters and the U.S. Forest Service battled the blaze for most of the afternoon and evening. The fire burned a home, a shop and several vehicles.

7. Sep 13, 2008Tropical Storm, Franklin$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The remnants of Tropical Storm Ike resulted in numerous trees and power lines downed across all of the county. Widespread power outages were reported across the county as well during the height of the storm which continued after the storm had passed.

8. May 29, 2019Tornado$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This is a continuation of the Wood County EF-2 tornado. This tornado crossed Highway 115 and County Road 4426 in the Scroggins community, where numerous trees were snapped or uprooted, a tree fell through a mobile home, and another tree had fallen on a home. The tornado continued northeast crossing County Road 4410 where a few trees were snapped or uprooted, and a metal outbuilding suffered minor damage. The tornado then moved across Farm to Market Road 1519 and along the west side of Lake Bob Sandlin where a few additional trees were snapped or uprooted, before lifting along the lake just off of County Road 4397. Throughout its path across extreme Southeast Franklin County, the…

9. Mar 19, 2002Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Straight line winds did moderate to severe damage to the Huntington Tile Group Facility. Nearly 20,000 square feet of tin metal roofing was damaged including two large stacks which were blown over.

10. Apr 26, 1999Thunderstorm Wind$60,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Winds damaged a doctors office on Hwy 37 and an 18 wheeler was blown over on I-30.

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

112°FAug 3, 2011

All-time low

−5°FDec 23, 1989

Warmest night

86°FJun 8, 2007

Coldest day

13°FDec 25, 1983

Wettest day

8.42 inDec 28, 2015

Snowiest day

8.5 inDec 16, 1983

Hottest year

2006mean 69.0°F

Coldest year

1976mean 61.2°F

Wettest year

201574.41 in

Driest year

200523.94 in

Snowiest season

13.4 in1977-78

Station Mount Vernon (USC00416119), 447 ft elevation, 5.1 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1966 to October 16, 2026; 97.5% 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 USC00416119.
• 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.