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Franklin County, FL

Date Time (LST) F/EF-Scale Length (Miles) Maximum Width (Yards) Fatalities Injuries Property Damage Source*
8/25/1927 215 pm F2 2 100 0 8 $35,000 G

A waterspout moved NNW across the east part of Carrabelle. A church, 15 homes, and 13 businesses were damaged or destroyed.

9/19/1947 1230 am F3 3 70 2 100 n/a G

A small but intense hurricane-spawned tornado destroyed 27 homes and damaged 31 more at Apalachicola.

8/30/1950 500 pm F1 0.5 50 0 0 $35,000 G, SD, SPC

This hurricane-spawned tornado at Apalachicola unroofed a home and store. The funnel came ashore as a waterspout, moving to the NW. There were 23 homes damaged.

5/26/1951 1030 am F2 0.1 10 3 0 $75,000 G, SD, SPC

Three fishermen drowned when their small boat was overturned near Carrabelle. Twenty homes had roof damage as the waterspout moved ashore. One home was unroofed.

11/23/1961 350 am F2 2 100 0 1 $25,000 SD, SPC
6/23/1963 600 am F0 0.1 10 0 0 $25,000 SD, SPC
9/20/1969 1020 pm F1 0.1 10 0 0 $2,500 SD, SPC
9/20/1969 1045 pm F2 0.1 10 0 3 $25,000 SD, SPC
10/1/1969 510 am F0 0.1 10 0 0 n/a SD, SPC
12/21/1969 445 pm F1 0.1 10 0 0 $2,500 SD, SPC
10/27/1972 905 am F0 0.3 10 0 0 n/a SD, SPC
10/27/1972 110 pm F2 0.3 20 0 0 $250,000 SD, SPC
2/19/1974 930 am F0 2 10 0 0 $2,500 SD, SPC
5/11/1974 520 pm F1 0.1 20 0 0 $25,000 SD, SPC
5/11/1974 800 pm F1 0.1 20 0 0 $25,000 SD, SPC
3/9/1976 530 am F0 1 10 0 0 $25,000 SD, SPC
4/23/1983 330 am F1 14 40 0 0 $25,000 SD, SPC
11/3/1984 900 pm F1 1 30 0 0 $2,500 SD, SPC
4/3/1987 830 am F0 1 30 0 0 $2,500 SD, SPC
6/8/1989 430 pm F0 0.2 10 0 0 n/a SD, SPC
6/8/1989 500 pm F2 3 300 3 4 $4,500,000 G, SD, SPC

A waterspout moved NE onto shore from Apalachicola Bay, crossed Magnolia Bluff, and passed through Eastpoint. Three people, two of whom had taken refuge from a nearby mobile home, were killed when thrown 500 feet from a frame house. The tornado destroyed or damaged 27 houses, trailers and businesses, and a dozen vehicles and boats. Sixty acres of trees were also destroyed.

6/8/1989 505 pm F0 0.2 10 0 0 n/a SD, SPC
6/10/1989 955 am F0 10 10 0 0 n/a SD, SPC
11/2/1992 500 am F0 0.1 10 0 0 $25,000 SD, SPC
8/16/1994 1200 am F0 0.1 10 0 0 n/a SD, SPC

A waterspout moved onshore St. George Island but caused no casualties or damage.

11/11/1995 1150 am F0 0.1 20 0 0 $500 SD, SPC

Franklin County Sheriff's Office reported a tornado touchdown in Lanark Village blowning the windows out of a house and damaging a fence.

10/1/1996 155 pm F1 0.1 30 0 1 $10,000 SD, SPC

A waterspout came ashore and caused roof damage to a grocery store. One store employee slightly injured her back while pulling a customer to the floor.

9/2/1998 930 pm F1 1 55 0 0 $150,000 SD, SPC

Six homes suffered moderate to severe damage as an F1 tornado swept across St. George Island.

6/23/2000 725 pm F0 0.1 30 0 0 n/a SD, SPC

A large waterspout briefly came ashore and deposited debris on U.S. Highway 98 near the Franklin-Wakulla county line.

6/24/2000 810 am F0 0.1 20 0 0 n/a SD, SPC

A waterspout briefly came ashore and dissipated. No damage indicated. Reported by the Franklin County EMA.

7/31/2000 753 am F0 0.1 50 0 0 n/a SD, SPC

A waterspout came ashore over Dog Island. No injuries or damage. Reported by the public and the Franklin County Sheriff.

9/22/2000 705 am F0 0.3 30 0 0 $25,000 SD, SPC

A waterspout came ashore at Alligator Point. A home on Gulf Shores Boulevard sustained minor damage and several trees were uprooted. Reported by the Franklin County EMA.

9/22/2000 715 am F1 0.3 50 0 0 $10,000 SD, SPC

An F1 tornado touched down along Highway 65 at the East Bay Tower on the southwest edge of Tates Hell Swamp. Numerous trees and power lines down. Reported by the Franklin County EMA.

8/5/2001 643 pm F0 0.1 20 0 0 $5,000 SD, SPC

A waterspout came ashore and overturned a vehicle on Lighthouse Road in Carrabelle. Reported by the Franklin County EMA.

10/14/2001 1230 am F1 0.2 50 0 0 $325,000 SD, SPC

An F1 tornado touched down on St George Island. It destroyed a house at 320 Marks Street, and moderately damaged a neighboring house. Ten other houses on Marks Street sustained minor damage. Reported by the Franklin County EMA.

11/10/2002 615 pm F0 0.1 50 0 0 $15,000 SD, SPC

A waterspout moved ashore and caused minor damage to an unoccupied house near intersection of 5th and West Gorrie Street on Saint George Island. Reported by the Franklin County Sheriff.

9/15/2004 815 pm F0 5 100 0 0 $10,000 SD, SPC

A tornado uprooted numerous trees along its path between Carrabelle and Morgan Place. Reported by the Franklin County EMA.

10/27/2006 610 pm F1 1.6 125 0 0 $1,000,000 SD, SPC

A waterspout came ashore near U.S. Highway 98 and 26th Street. The tornado then tracked northeast through Apalachicola, and lifted near Water Street and Avenue G. A few boats at a marina were capsized. Four homes were destroyed and four dozen others were damaged. Hundreds of trees were either knocked down or had their tops sheared off, and numerous utility poles were down. The main electrical power substation was damaged, causing a citywide power outage. All telephone and TV cable lines were down. A restaurant along U.S. Highway 98 sustained heavy damage to its roof and outbuildings. An elementary school received minor roof damage. The city's hospital suffered heavy damage. A portion of the hospital's roof collapsed, winds blew out numerous windows, and two air handling units were torn from the roof. A local state of emergency was declared. Reports were provided by the Franklin County EMA and Sheriff, and damage surveyed by the NWS.

4/21/2012 916 am EF0 0.01 10 0 0 $0 SD, SPC

Twin waterspouts were observed and photographed by the public a couple hundred yards off of St. George Island State Park. The witness stated that one of them made it to the beach and kicked up some sand before dissipating, resulting in a very brief tornado. No damage occurred.

2/25/2013 122 pm EF0 0.01 20 0 0 $0 SD

A tornado was spotted crossing over the St. George Island Bridge. No damage occurred.

4/14/2013 230 pm EF0 1.86 10 0 0 $20,000 SD

A waterspout moved ashore and became a weak tornado in the Eastpoint area . Minor roof damage occurred to two mobile homes, and some trees and power lines were blown down. Damage was consistent with an EF0 tornado with winds around 70 mph. Monetary damage was estimated.

10/13/2014 729 pm EF0 0.01 20 0 0 $0 SD

The KTLH dual-pol radar detected a tornadic debris signature about 3.7 miles east of Buck Siding. This is in the middle of the Apalachicola National Forest with no damage to structures reported. The tornado was rated EF0 based on tree damage.

1/22/2017 250 pm EF1 2.36 350 0 0 $0 SD

Across rural Franklin County, a tornado touched down just west of SR-65 on the north side of East Bay. This tornado tracked across SR-65 before dissipating prior to reaching Juniper Creek Road. Damage along the path of the tornado was limited to snapped or uprooted pine trees. Damage along the track was consistent with an EF-1 tornado with maximum winds of 105 mph.

6/20/2017 915 am EF0 0.39 50 0 0 $10,000 SD

A tornadic waterspout moved onshore western portion of St . George Island, causing minor tree damage and minor roof damage to 3 well-built coastal homes. Video on social media confirms that the tornado was on the ground as it crossed the beach . Damage was supportive of high end EF0 rating with max winds estimated near 85 mph. The survey was conducted with help and data from Franklin County Emergency Management.

1/16/2022 1222 am EF1 2.65 50 0 0 $75,000 SD

A tornado moved across portions of Dog Island early Sunday morning with damage to one residence reported . The roof was partially torn off with significant damage to the porch. This damage was consistent with an EF1 tornado with winds estimated around 95 mph. In addition, damage to trees and power lines occurred with Duke Energy reporting 97 customers without power on the island. A tornadic debris signature (TDS) was evident on TLH radar.

12/14/2022 854 pm EF0 0.33 210 0 0 $0 SD

A brief EF0 tornado with max winds estimated at 85 mph touched down about 0.75 miles north of New River Primitive Campsite 8 in the Tates Hell State Forest. The tornado tracked to the northeast towards the New River, where it lifted. Through its path, a few larger pine trees were snapped, and several smaller pine trees were snapped or uprooted before lifting.

6/9/2023 214 pm EF0 0.34 50 0 0 $0 SD

A brief EF0 tornado touched down just west of Highway 319 with trees blown down along the highway. This tornado was confirmed by photos of trees down corresponding to the TDS location on radar.

*Sources

G - Grazulis, T. P., 1993: Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991.  A Chronology and Analysis of Events. Environmental Films, Tornado Project, St. Johsnbury, VT.
SD - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1950-2016: Storm Data. National Climatic Data Center, Asheville, NC.
SPC - Storm Prediction Center Database