Franklin County tornado history

29 tornadoes touched Franklin County, Iowa between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.4 a year. The strongest was rated F5 (May 15, 1968). Tornadoes here killed 13 and injured 462 people.

29tornadoes since 1950

F5strongest rating

13killed · 462 injured

62.1 milongest path · 1968

(E)F0(E)F1(E)F2(E)F3(E)F4(E)F5· dots = start point only

By rating

(E)F011

(E)F112

(E)F24

(E)F31

(E)F40

(E)F51

By month

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: June.

By decade

’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20

Strongest tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
May 15, 1968	F5	62.1 mi	600 yd	462	13
Jun 28, 1990	F3	9 mi	90 yd	0	0
Dec 15, 2021	EF2	16.7 mi	100 yd	0	0
Dec 15, 2021	EF2	7.5 mi	90 yd	0	0
May 10, 1959	F2	6.5 mi	300 yd	0	0
Jun 12, 2013	EF2	5.2 mi	300 yd	0	0
Dec 15, 2021	EF1	22.2 mi	140 yd	0	0
Dec 15, 2021	EF1	13 mi	125 yd	0	0
Jun 6, 1999	F1	11.5 mi	40 yd	0	0
Dec 15, 2021	EF1	6 mi	80 yd	0	0
Jun 12, 2013	EF1	3.4 mi	75 yd	0	0
Jul 28, 2023	EF1	2.8 mi	120 yd	0	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width
Jul 28, 2023	EF1	2.8 mi	120 yd
Jul 28, 2023	EF1	1.8 mi	125 yd
Dec 15, 2021	EF2	16.7 mi	100 yd
Dec 15, 2021	EF1	13 mi	125 yd
Dec 15, 2021	EF1	22.2 mi	140 yd
Dec 15, 2021	EF1	6 mi	80 yd
Dec 15, 2021	EF2	7.5 mi	90 yd
Jun 16, 2014	EF1	2.6 mi	175 yd
Jun 12, 2013	EF2	5.2 mi	300 yd
Jun 12, 2013	EF1	3.4 mi	75 yd
Jun 12, 2013	EF0	1.3 mi	125 yd
Jun 12, 2013	EF0	1.1 mi	50 yd

Deadliest: May 15, 1968, F5, 13 killed.

Nearby counties

Cerro Gordo County, IA40 Wright County, IA40 Hardin County, IA47 Butler County, IA30 Hamilton County, IA56 Floyd County, IA27 Hancock County, IA29 Grundy County, IA39

Questions

How many tornadoes has Franklin County, Iowa had?

29 tornadoes touched Franklin County, Iowa between 1950 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database — about 0.4 per year.

What was the strongest tornado in Franklin County?

The strongest rating recorded was F5 on May 15, 1968, with a 62.1-mile path and 13 deaths.

When is tornado season in Franklin County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in June (10 of 29). Tornadoes can occur in any month, so keep alerts on year-round.

Right now: live tornado warnings map · alerts for your location. Dates link to that day’s full storm reports where available (2004 onward).