On September 26, 2023, the river level at a gauge in Memphis was -10.26 feet, close to the record low level, -10.81 feet, determined at the very same location on October 21, 2022. Absence of precipitation and high temperatures over numerous months badly dried out soils in states along the Mississippi River Valley. According to the National Weather Services Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center, the forecast does not look promising.
Prolonged dry spell in 2023 has actually drastically decreased Mississippi River levels, disrupting transportation, increasing shipping costs, and threatening Louisianas drinking water materials.
In September, low water levels made it more challenging to ship products down the river and enabled a wedge of saltwater to move upstream.
Months of excessive heat and drought parched the Mississippi River in the summer and early fall of 2023. In September, low water levels restricted barge shipments downriver and threatened drinking water supplies in some Louisiana neighborhoods, according to the Associated Press.
Water levels were particularly low near Memphis, Tennessee. The images listed below reveal the Mississippi River near Memphis on September 16, 2023 (upper), compared to September 10, 2021 (lower). The river was significantly slimmed down in 2023, exposing some of the river bottom.
Satellite picture of the Mississippi River near Memphis on September 16, 2023.
Satellite picture of the Mississippi River near Memphis on September 10, 2021.
This is the 2nd year in a row dry spell has triggered the river to fall to near-record lows at numerous evaluates. On September 26, 2023, the river level at a gauge in Memphis was -10.26 feet, close to the record low level, -10.81 feet, determined at the exact same place on October 21, 2022.
Farther upstream, water levels at New Madrid, Missouri, have been around -5 feet– near the minimum operating level– considering that early September 2023. Water levels on the Mississippi generally decrease in the fall and winter season, and in 2022, the river did not get that low up until mid-October.
A hot, dry summertime is the primary reason water levels dropped so low in 2023. Around the world, temperature levels in summertime 2023 were 1.2 ° C( 2.1 ° F)warmer than average. In the U.S., Louisiana and Mississippi experienced their most popular Augusts on record, according to NOAA.
U.S. Drought Monitor map for September 26, 2023.
The U.S. Drought Monitor map above– the item of a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln– shows conditions throughout the week of September 20-26, 2023. It is based on an analysis of soil, environment, and water condition measurements from more than 350 federal, state, and regional observers around the nation.
During that week, about 38 percent of the contiguous U.S. was experiencing drought. Absence of rainfall and heats over several months significantly dried out soils in states along the Mississippi River Valley. The Drought Monitor reported that 80 percent of soils in Louisiana were dry (very brief or brief on water) since September 24. And for a lot of states in the river valley, over 50 percent of topsoil was extremely dry or dry.
Shallow conditions along the river interrupted regular shipments of products. According to the Associated Press, barge business lowered the weight brought in lots of shipments in September since the river was not deep sufficient to accommodate their normal weight. Much of U.S. grain exports are transported down the Mississippi, and according to AP, the cost of these deliveries from St. Louis southward has increased 77 percent above the three-year average.
The lack of freshwater streaming into the Gulf of Mexico has actually likewise enabled saltwater to make its method up the river and into some water treatment plants in southern Louisiana, according to the Associated Press. Some parts of Plaquemines Parish are under drinking water advisories and have depended on bottled water for cooking and drinking considering that June.
Substantial rainfall would be required to eliminate saltwater in the river in Plaquemines. According to the National Weather Services Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center, the projection does not look promising. If adequate rainfall does not get here before mid-to-late October, saltwater could make its method to New Orleans.
NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, utilizing Landsat information from the U.S. Geological Survey and data from the United States Drought Monitor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The images below show the Mississippi River near Memphis on September 16, 2023 (upper), compared to September 10, 2021 (lower). The river was considerably slendered down in 2023, exposing some of the river bottom.