Mississippi River sits at historic lows

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Due to a nationwide drought, bodies of water across the Midwest and South are getting significantly lower and here in Memphis residents are seeing the affects.

“Well, my mom she just wanted to see how low it was because she saw on the Memphis news that it dropped a foot or so that’s why we’re outside today,” says Malachi Cameron.

“We wanted to come see the river cause we heard it was at a historically low level,” says Lydia McDermott.

Rivers like Platte River for example in Nebraska flow into the Mississippi, however, most rivers that empty into the river are seeing a drastic change in levels as well.

“I’ve never seen it historically this low, and all the sandbars, we come down many times when it was record high but this is another reason to come down and see the river,” McDermott says.

According to the National Weather Service the river dropped to -10.75 feet, making this the lowest water level ever recorded in Memphis history.

“It’s just always beautiful but it’s definitely low, lower than I’ve ever seen it and then we were watching the barges going down,” says McDermott.

Since the record low levels it’s been difficult for some barges to navigate through the Mississippi, causing many supply chain issues.

It’s going to take some time and a lot of rain to get the Mississippi and other rivers back to its normal, but until then what many are taking advantage of the historic sight.