Falling Water Levels Along Major Waterways Impacting Shipping

The prices of goods in the U.S. could increase just in time for the holidays, thanks to disruptions to the major shipping channels across the Mississippi and lower Ohio rivers. A lack of moisture has caused water levels in the waterways to drop to critically low levels, impacting barge and tugboat operations. Here is what you need to know.

Water Levels Fall to Critically Low Measurements Across the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers

Water levels across parts of the Mississippi and lower Ohio rivers have slipped to levels low enough to hinder shipping operations throughout the inland waterway system. This is the third year out of four that ongoing drought conditions have impacted the normal tug and barge operations across the basins. The fall of 2024 was the only time in the last four years when water levels reached near or above the historical average.

It was a wet spring and early summer for the Mississippi Basin, resulting in several flash flooding events at the hands of the excessive rainfall. This all changed by the late summer when the moisture machine across the basin went dormant.

There have been few to no Pacific storm systems pushing into the region this fall. The lack of precipitation has paired with unseasonably warm fall temperatures to bring water levels down. Multiple measurement stations along the middle portion of the Mississippi River have reported negative water gauge readings in recent weeks. Negative readings mean that the water surface has dropped below the reference zero level that was established during the initial installation of the gauge. What is most worrisome is that long-term changes to the channel bottom could happen due to natural erosion.