Mississippi River

Saltwater is moving up the Mississippi River. Here's what's being done to stop it

5:00am October 27, 2022

by Debbie Elliott

The saltwater is threatening drinking water supplies in the New Orleans metro area. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built an underwater levee to stop the intrusion.

A dangerous crack in a steel beam on the Interstate 40 bridge, near Memphis, Tenn., caused authorities to order an emergency closure, disrupting road and Mississippi River traffic.

National

Cracked Memphis Bridge Remains Indefinitely Closed Disrupting Supply Chain

11:05pm May 12, 2021

Arkansas officials said it had the potential to become a "catastrophic event," adding, "the bridge was closed to vehicular traffic and the river was closed to barge traffic as a safety precaution."

The shucking house at Bon Secour Fisheries in Alabama has just three shuckers working this year because of a lack of oysters.

National

Fisheries And Fishermen Hard Hit By Decline Of Oysters On Gulf Coast

12:47pm November 28, 2019

by Debbie Elliott

Record flooding on the Mississippi River sent too much fresh water into the Gulf of Mexico, killing oysters and crippling other seafood harvests that depend on saltwater to survive.

The Shawnee Forest towboat steers down the Ohio River near American Commercial Barge Line's office outside Cairo, Ill. As of June 12, more than 600 barges were waiting to go upstream once water levels dropped..

National

Months Of Flooding On Mississippi River Marooned Midwest Trade

8:06am August 16, 2019

by Madelyn Beck

Long-term flooding along major waterways stranded barges up and down the Mississippi River this summer and caused havoc with river transportation and the economy that depends on it.

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Mississippi River floodwaters inundate the pavilion and a play area at Harriet Island in St. Paul, Minn., this past March.

Wet, Wild And High: Lakes And Rivers Wreak Havoc Across Midwest, South

11:47am August 14, 2019

by Cheryl Corley

Parts of the Mississippi have been above flood stage for months. All of the Great Lakes are at or near record-high levels. It's halting barge traffic, damaging infrastructure and eroding shorelines.

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More precipitation fell in the continental U.S. in the 12 months ending in May 2019 than ever recorded. Records go back more than 120 years. Blue areas had more groundwater than usual for May. Orange and red areas had less.

Small Towns Fear They Are Unprepared For Future Climate-Driven Flooding

4:59pm July 25, 2019

by Rebecca Hersher

The central U.S. just experienced the most widespread river flooding ever recorded there. Flood defenses in major cities largely performed well, but many smaller communities were simply overwhelmed.

Tropical Storm Barry's wind speeds picked up on Friday. But on the central Gulf Coast, many residents are mainly concerned about life-threatening floods from its rain and storm surge.

National

Tropical Storm Barry Starts To Hit Gulf Coast: 'A Life-Threatening Situation'

3:19pm July 12, 2019

by Bill Chappell

An oil rig southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River is reporting sustained winds of 76 mph, with gusts up to 87 mph.

Tropical Storm Barry is predicted to become a hurricane before making landfall along the Louisiana coast Saturday morning.

National

Tropical Storm Barry Forms In Gulf; Louisiana Goes Into State Of Emergency

3:57pm July 11, 2019

by Bill Chappell

Barry is now predicted to become a Category 1 hurricane shortly before making landfall Saturday, with maximum winds of 75 mph.

A statue of explorers Lewis and Clark is surrounded by floodwaters along the St. Louis riverfront on Thursday.

The Mississippi River Has Been Flooding For 41 Days Now

9:16pm May 03, 2019

by Merrit Kennedy

The record-breaking flooding is threatening communities and farmland along the upper Mississippi. Davenport, Iowa, is experiencing downtown flooding. The high water is continuing to move downriver.

Starr, a female bald eagle, looks over her eaglets in a nest along the Mississippi River in April. She is raising the three eaglets along with her two male partners, Valor I and Valor II.

National

An Unusual Family Of Bald Eagles Adds Three Eaglets

4:20pm April 16, 2019

by Francesca Paris

Valor I, Valor II and Starr, a trio of bald eagles in Illinois, hatched three eaglets this year. No such luck for the closely-watched eagle couples of Washington, D.C.