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U.S. Drought Hits River Shipping

ByBruce Krasting
Published 08/22/2012, 12:18 PM
Updated 07/09/2023, 06:31 AM
BIG
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The following pictures are of the Mississippi River. The 2012 drought has significantly lowered water levels.
2011
2012
Water levels are down as much as 40 feet from a year ago.
Grounded Channel Marker
It's so dry, grass is growing on the sandbanks.
Where Once Water Flowed
The low water is wreaking havoc on river traffic. Some headlines:
Chicago Tribune
Memphis, Tenn.
Associated Press
High Stakes
How big a deal is this? Big. ABC put the potential hit to the economy at $300Mn a day. As many as 400k jobs are in play. The Army Corps of Engineers suggests the problem is not going away anytime soon.
ABC News
Massive Traffic Backed Up
Nearly 90% of the nation’s waterborne commercial deliveries are on the Mississippi.
Waterborne Traffic
The Forecast
The Army Corps based its forecast of “no relief” on data from NOAA. The 30-day forecast shows a continuation of dry conditions in the center of the country, and there's little reason to be optimistic looking at the 90-day outlook.
One-Month Forecast
Three-Month Forecast
Take To The Rails?
The only winners in this story are the railroads. Everyone else will pay a bit more. In some cases there may be shortages (rock salt/chemicals to the north). Global grain, corn and bean supplies are also vulnurable.

Add another few percent to the already skyrocketing price of raw-food stocks.

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