The Great

Natchez Tornado

Date:
May 7, 1840
Place: Natchez, Mississippi

Made By: Anaya, Alisha, Vishwa, Amaan,

Yash, Vedang
Time and
Occurrence 
o The tornado hit suddenly. Perhaps rain-wrapped, at around 2:10 pm it moved into town.
o Tornado first touched down around 20 miles southwest of Natchez and moved  in a
northeast direction. The clouds seen by the residents were described as “black masses,
some stationary and some whirling” but the storm caused “no particular alarm” amongst
the residents of Natchez. 
o Most of the residents were either down by the river working. Just before 2 p.m., the sky
darkened and the barometer began to fall rapidly. The rain came first, then the tornado. 
o But unlike today, there was no Weather Service in 1840 and no warning of what was to
come. No one was prepared.
FORMATION OF THE
TORNADO:
After noon a nasty thunderstorm -- loud and windy
with a driving rain -- fell upon Natchez and Vidalia. A
few moments later, 20 miles southwest over the fields
and forests of Concordia in the Deer Park and Slocum
area, a killer tornado began to form out of that same
storm system.

First hand accounts say that the tornado itself

lasted anywhere from three to five minutes. However,
the storm that produced the tornado lasted for around
30 minutes. The damage path which sliced through
Natchez was seen starting at least 10 miles to west-
southwest of town.
 Impact on Environment
The violent nature of tornadoes can cause severe injuries and lead to loss of life.
Statistically, tornadoes cause 1,500 injuries each year. Averagely, 80 deaths as a result of
devastating tornadoes are recorded each year. These figures point to the fact that
tornadoes are life-threatening phenomenon that must be treated as a national disaster. 

• Injuries and Loss of life

•Economic Loss
•Environmental Contamination
•Destruction of Vegetation
•Ecosystem gets effected
Damage: 
o  Mississippi river churned with massive waves and whitecaps, flatboats and men were
tossed into the air. Crews on boats and passengers were swallowed into the river, others
were dropped onto land.

o  The air was black with whirling eddies of walls, roofs, chimneys and huge timbers
from distant ruins shot through the air. Banks, homes, stores, steamboats and other vessels
were completely destroyed. Houses in the towns burst open. "

o Though it seems likely that its devastation would certainly equal an F5, the highest
ever recorded, which carries winds of 207-260 mph. It can liftoff foundations, missiles the
size of automobiles will fly through the air in excess of 100 meters. trees will
be debarked and steel re-enforced concrete structures will be badly damaged. 
Damage: (continuation) 
 The tornado tracked northeast along the Mississippi seven miles south of Natchez,
stripping the forest from both shores. There were no means of communication to
warn the residents of Natchez.

 The Natchez tornado of 1840 firmly ranks as the #2 most deadly tornado in U.S.
History, behind the Tri-State Tornado of 1925
Casualities
Today, most government agencies – the National Water Service, Federal
Emergency Management Agency and others – put the death toll at 317 and 109
injured, the only tornado where the dead outnumber the injured.

The official death count is commonly listed as 317+, with the breakdown being 1
in Vidalia, 48 in Natchez, and some 269 on the river. Although the river death
count is uncertain as well.

The tornado’s destruction on land and water was estimated at $1,269,000 in

1840 dollars. That would translate today into about $21 million.
 Mitigation
Strategies
undertaken
Tornadoes have a unique destructive power among wind-related
natural disasters because they concentrate a massive amount of
energy in a relatively small area.

The strongest category of tornadoes can generate maximum

wind speeds of greater than 250 mph, which is enough to destroy
most buildings and structures in their path.

Build easily accessible shelter areas: ensure that if students at a public

school or elderly in the nursing homes get caught in the path of a tornado,
that they have a designated shelter like a basement or safe room to hide in
until the storm passes.