Hail and tornadoes in Franklin City, VA
Since October 2020, radar estimated hail somewhere in Franklin City, VA on 2 days. The biggest estimate: 1 in or larger (quarter), on Thu, May 22, 2025. Hail was reported to the National Weather Service inside the county on 0 days.
Radar estimates are NOAA's MESH: the largest hail the radar estimates aloft, on cells about 0.7 mile across, shown as the lower bound of a size band (“1.5+”). They often run larger than what reached the ground, and they aren't evidence of damage at any address.
Hail on record since 1955
NOAA's Storm Events database lists 13 hail reports in Franklin City, VA on 12 days, 0 of them 2 inches or larger. The largest: 1.75 in, near Franklin, on Thu, May 22, 2025.
By decade: 1990s: 2 · 2000s: 3 · 2010s: 7 · 2020s: 1. Reporting has grown over the decades, so these aren't a trend.
Tornadoes since 1950
NOAA has recorded 1 tornado in Franklin City, VA since 1950, none of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger. A tornado that crossed county lines is recorded in each county it touched, so this counts the ones that reached this city.
Every one
- Fri, Sep 26, 2008 · EF0 · 0.1 mi long, 20 yd wide · near Franklin
By decade: 2000s: 1. How tornadoes were found and reported has changed, so decades don't compare directly.
Every hail day since October 2020
- Thu, May 22, 2025
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 1 in or larger (quarter)
No hail reported in the county.
- Fri, Jun 16, 2023
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 0.75 in or larger (penny)
No hail reported in the county.
Radar estimates and reports are for anywhere inside the county's boundary. Radar estimates come from NOAA's MRMS estimated hail size (MESH), the largest hail the radar estimates aloft on a ~1 km grid. They often run larger than the hail that reached the ground, and they aren't an observation at any address. Reports are what people reported to the National Weather Service. Neither is proof of damage or an official record for an insurance claim. From NOAA's Storm Events Database (NCEI): tornadoes from 1950, hail and thunderstorm wind from 1955, and every kind of storm from 1996, with a partial transition in 1993-95 (June and July 1993 are missing). These are recorded reports, and how storms were reported has changed over the decades, so earlier counts aren't directly comparable with recent ones. A tornado that crossed county lines is recorded in each county it touched. Recent months are added as NCEI publishes them, a few months behind.