Mississippi River At St. Louis Approaching Record Low Flow - 53-Foot Swing 5/11 To 8/12
The drought that continues to affect a majority of the lower 48 states is jeopardizing the flow of commerce along parts of the Mississippi River, a vital waterway for transporting $7 billion worth of commodities such as coal, grain, cement, chemicals and other materials.
It was only a year ago that there was record flooding along the Mississippi River and many of its tributaries. Heavy rainfall combined with spring snowmelt to cause the mighty Mississippi to overflow its banks, damaging towns and farmland that line the waterway.
But this year the drought that has engulfed the U.S. has taken its toll. As of December 11, 61.87 percent of the land area in the continental U.S. was still under some degree of drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, with the most severe impacts concentrated in the High Plains, Texas, and parts of the Southeast.
The Mississippi River has not been immune to that. The river at St. Louis is close to setting an all-time record low, although storm systems moving through the Plains and Midwest — including a major snowstorm expected Wednesday into Thursday — are likely to drop enough rain and snow to prevent the record from occurring during the next week.