Mississippi River Needs More Precipitation

This year hasn’t been as trying for the “Mighty Mississippi” as the past few years, but it would be nice if it delivered more precipitation for the vital river that zigs through the Midwest. Low river levels can slow traffic barge traffic, critical agricultural transport.

“The Ohio River Basin has been very dry the last two months and that’s why we’re seeing low stages starting to come into the forecast,” Anna Wolverton, U.S. Corps of Engineers Mississippi Valley Division's (MVD) Meteorologist and liaison to the National Weather Service, told Brownfield Ag News. 

Can rainfall be significant enough to stop the river levels from sinking and pulling down harvest prices?

Warnings are already out about the lower water levels.

“The U.S. Coast Guard has issued low-water restrictions between Caruthersville, Mo., to around Angola, La., on the lower Mississippi,” reported Northeast Arkansas Talk Business & Politics. “The restrictions include having drafts no deeper than 11 feet for northbound tow barges and no greater than 11.5 feet for southbound barges. There are additional restrictions for the number of barges that can be included in a tow. Fewer barges mean less soybeans, rice and corn headed to New Orleans.”

American Farmland Owner followed the low water levels on the Mississippi River in October 2023.

“Scientists and researchers have warned for years that extended, new weather patterns (possibly permanent or at least long-lasting) are and will create challenges for our personal and professional futures. Water levels are so low in Vicksburg, Mississippi, that a bridge has physically shifted. 

It’s a lack of precipitation – and in some cases, record drought -- causing issues for various industries that depend on giant barges to carry their goods down the river. That means the “Mighty Mississippi” is not as mighty these days.