Storm Chasing
The 1840 Natchez Tornado and an Atmospheric Understanding of Place
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8156734 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Caroline Peyton (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 99 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 586-613 |
| Publication date | 2025-11-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Agricultural History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-1482 • E-ISSN: 1533-8290 |
| Publisher | Duke University Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1215/00021482-11923121 |
| OpenAlex | W7114894602 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 21 |
On May 7, 1840, a tornado ripped through Natchez, Mississippi, killing 317 people. It remains one of the deadliest tornadoes on record. However destructive, the Natchez tornado might initially appear as an anomaly. It was, however, a storm characteristic of a region shaped by the atmospheric conditions that produce tornadoes. A confluence of curious observers, enthusiasts of the emerging field of meteorology, happened to reside in and around the Natchez area in 1840. The storm sparked debates about the mechanics of storm formation and about the causes of material damage from tornadoes, and an interest in the atmospheric conditions required for such violent weather. Although the epicenter of meteorological inquiry during the antebellum period was situated on the East Coast, the 1840 tornado shifted one point of study to Natchez, a place defined by cotton capitalism and pervasive financial risk. Market turbulence paralleled atmospheric volatility. This article analyzes how and why the 1840 Natchez tornado did more than reorder the built environment. For reasons both scientific and economic, the tornado demanded an atmospheric understanding of place
Atmosphere (unit · Severe weather · Situated · Storm · Tornado · Turning point · Climate variability and models · Meteorological Phenomena and Simulations · Tree-ring climate responses
| Highly cited | No |
|---|