In the fall and winter season, water levels on the Mississippi River typically decrease, but not by almost as much as they did in October 2022. Recent weeks of dry weather in the Ohio River Valley and Upper Mississippi River Valley have actually triggered river water to drop to levels that have not been seen in more than a years along key parts of the river. Water levels, or “gage height,” or “river stages” do not indicate the depth of a stream; rather, they are measured with respect to a picked referral point. Downstream, in the lower part of the river, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is dealing with the intrusion of saltwater into the lower reaches of the river. Generally, the circulation of the river prevents saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico from moving very far upriver, but the river is so low that a wedge of saltwater has sneaked northward and threatens intakes used for freshwater supplies.
Natural-color satellite image of the dry Mississippi River on October 7, 2022. (Click image for broader view.).
Utilizing information from the Crop Condition and Soil Moisture Analytics (Crop-CASMA) product, the map shows soil wetness anomalies on October 7, 2022, or how the water material in the top meter (3 feet) of soil compared to regular conditions for the time of year. Crop-CASMA incorporates measurements from NASAs Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite and vegetation indices from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments on NASAs Terra and Aqua satellites.
By October 20, river levels at Vicksburg had dropped to 0.66 feet (0.20 meters), a low level however still well above the record low of -7.00 feet in 1940. Nevertheless, farther upstream in Memphis on October 17, 2022, the river level dropped to -10.79 feet, the most affordable level taped at the site given that the start of National Weather Service records there in 1954.
October 2019– October 2022.
On October 20, at New Madrid, Missouri, water levels had dropped to -5.1 feet, just slightly above the minimum operating level of the gage. Water levels, or “gage height,” or “river stages” do not show the depth of a stream; rather, they are determined with regard to a chosen referral point. That is why some gage height measurements are negative.
A lack of rain over an extremely broad location is the primary reason water levels have dropped so low, described Tennessee State Climatologist Andrew Joyner. “It doesnt take wish for water levels to go down offered a lack of rain over such a large area,” he stated.
Downstream, in the lower part of the river, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is handling the invasion of saltwater into the lower reaches of the river. Typically, the circulation of the river prevents saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico from moving really far upriver, however the river is so low that a wedge of saltwater has sneaked northward and threatens consumptions used for freshwater materials. To avoid saltwater from getting farther upstream, the Corps started construction on an undersea sill in Myrtle Grove, Louisiana, on October 11.
Forecasting from the National Weather Service Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center requires water levels to drop even lower at several points along the river in coming weeks. Oftentimes, they anticipate water levels to drop even lower than they performed in 2012, 2000, and 1988– other years when water levels hit abnormally low levels.
What will happen beyond a couple of weeks is less clear. “Looking at one- and three-month projections, it looks like there are equivalent possibilities of above or below par rains,” Joyner stated. “If we end up with average rainfall, conditions may not intensify, but it likewise will not result in enhancements.”.
NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens, utilizing soil moisture data from Crop Condition and Soil Moisture Analytics (Crop-CASMA), Landsat information from the U.S. Geological Survey, and information from the National Water Information System.
United States Soil Moisture Anomaly on October 7, 2022.
Low water levels are making it tough to deliver goods down the Mississippi River and enabling a wedge of saltwater to move upstream.
In the fall and winter, water levels on the Mississippi River normally decline, but not by almost as much as they performed in October 2022. Current weeks of dry weather in the Ohio River Valley and Upper Mississippi River Valley have actually caused river water to drop to levels that have actually not been seen in more than a decade along key parts of the river. Besides for slowing barge traffic, the low water levels are raising concerns that saltwater invasions in the Lower Mississippi might impact water materials.
On October 7, 2022, the Operational Land Imager (OLI-2) on Landsat 9 caught this natural-color image (below) of the dry river. According to news reports, well over 100 barges and towboats waited at times due to a short-lived river closure triggered by barge groundings and dredging work.