Mississippi River approaching low levels set last year

The Mississippi River at Cairo has fallen below low stage and is approaching a low depth that was a major problem for barge traffic last October.

The Cairo gauge was down to 5.73 feet on Monday morning, under the low stage of 9.2 feet. That's approaching the modern record low level of 4.83 feet set on Oct. 17 last year. That same week, Memphis fell to their all-time low of -10.81 feet.

Local evidence of the low river is seen at Tower Rock north of Cape Girardeau, where people are beginning to be able to walk across the river to visit the site as they did last fall. More evidence is the Dorena-Hickman ferry, which has been closed off and on for several weeks since this summer.

Low water stages are reported for 400 miles of the southern section of the Mississippi from New Orleans to Cape Girardeau.

Last fall, many barges could not travel on the river south of Cairo to transport freshly harvested grain or shipments of fuel and coal. This year, more barges can still run, but at lighter loads and in fewer groups. 

Extra dredging has been taking place since the summer to keep the trade routes open.

The effects of the low water is being felt along the entire length of the Mississippi. In Louisiana, salt water has crept almost 60 miles up the river channel in the lower delta because of the low flow of fresh water from the north.

When the river is running this low, it's a symptom of long-term weather conditions affecting a large part of the nation. Forty-one percent of the U.S. drains into the Mississippi River, being fed by the Ohio River to the east and the Missouri River to the west and Great Plains.

Rain that falls in Montana, Minnesota or Pennsylvania can take up to a month to make its way to the Gulf of Mexico.




U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredging vessell Jadwin powers south on the Mississippi River near Commerce, MO in 2022. (AP Photo Jeff Roberson)