News

Low Mississippi River levels could cause $20B in losses

AccuWeather forecasts economic losses of $20 billion from the Mississippi River’s historically low water levels.

Senior meteorologist Paul Pastelok tells Brownfield the low levels have caused barge traffic to come to a near standstill, and he doesn’t expect any significant change in the levels until early next year.

“We do have a couple of events in the near future, but they don’t produce a whole lot of rainfall,” Pastelok said. “This is going to be a slow process of returning to what levels we want to be at so that these barges can go up and down the Mississippi River.”

Pastelok says commerce on the river accounts for 92 percent of the country’s ag exports.

“We’re talking (ag) commodities going down, but we’re also talking about energy like petroleum,” Pastelok said. “And then on the other side, ice melt as we get into the winter season. A lot of those major products come up the river.”

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack tells Brownfield the impact on barge transportation comes as agriculture continues to face supply chain challenges.

“The Corps of Engineers is obviously monitoring this,” Vilsack said. “I think that hopefully over time we get to see a more regular flow and we get to see those crops be able to move to market quickly.”

AccuWeather says Europe has faced similar economic impacts with diminished water levels on key rivers.