| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | May 7,1846 |
The 1846 Grenada,Mississippi tornado was a tornado that struck Grenada,Mississippi,on May 7,1846. The tornado killed 21 people,injured 60,and destroyed 60 or 70 buildings in the southern half of Grenada,Yalobusha County,Mississippi [a] in the United States. [1] [2] [3] Other accounts had it that 112 buildings were destroyed, [4] including 17 homes. [5] Property damage was estimated at $65,000 [6] to US$80,000(equivalent to $2,799,704 in 2024). [4] According to the Mississippi Democrat of Carrollton,Mississippi,"When the tornado passed through Grenada it must have been at least 600 yards (550 m) from one extreme to the other;but about the centre and 50 yards (46 m) each way therefrom,the principal damage was done." [7]
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According to the New Orleans Picayune ,"On the outside of a letter to a friend,is written the words,'Grenada is in ruins,and many of her inhabitants are destroyed;names cannot be given,or numbers set down." [8] The tornado struck at about 2:30 p.m. [5] Both schools in the town were in session at the time the hurricane struck,and both were destroyed. [9] The teacher of the girls' school was killed,her body was found across the river in a tree. [9] The force of the tornado "shattered" the logs of the cabin that housed the girls' school. [9] The teacher of the boys' school survived but was seriously injured. [9] The newly built Baptist church was leveled. [6] [10]
According to a scrapbooked clipping of a news article entitled "The Great Hurricane," written by Aaron Davis,the tornado approached the town from the west. [11] The same tornado later continued northward into Maury County,Tennessee,where there were no casualties but three farms were damaged. [12]