# INSIGHT: Mississippi River levels hit multi-year lows, clogs
      US chem traffic

> American Commercial Barge Line issued restrictions on loading drafts and tow sizes on the Mississippi River as water levels hit multi-year lows, with one point reaching the lowest level in over a century of records. Groundings have occurred and delays of 48 to 72 hours were warned.

- Date: 2021-11-28 · published 2021-11-28T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/16749-insight-mississippi-river-levels-hit-multi-year-lows-clogs-us-chem-traffic
- Commodities: [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md), [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md), [Soybeans](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SOY.md)

## Why it matters

Shallow water cuts barge capacity and raises freight rates, which pressures grain shipments from the Upper Mississippi to the Gulf and can weigh on interior cash prices.

## Read by commodity

- SOY: bearish ▼
- CORN: bearish ▼
- BARGE: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2022-11-07 | [Mississippi River's Low Levels Causing Barge Traffic Issues](https://feedsoft.ai/events/10337-mississippi-river-s-low-levels-causing-barge-traffic-issues.md) | -0.7% | -5.4% |
| CORN | 2022-01-27 | [Low Mississippi River water levels impact river users](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16735-low-mississippi-river-water-levels-impact-river-users.md) | +1.7% | +10.2% |
| CORN | 2025-08-27 | [The Mississippi River is Set to Fall to Severe Levels for the Fourth Year in a Row](https://feedsoft.ai/events/23510-the-mississippi-river-is-set-to-fall-to-severe-levels-for-the-fourth-year-in-a.md) | +3.6% | +8.1% |
| CORN | 2017-09-01 | [Closed lock and dam causes Mississippi River traffic jam \| News \| komu.com](https://feedsoft.ai/events/69131-closed-lock-and-dam-causes-mississippi-river-traffic-jam-news-komu-com.md) | -0.4% | +0.8% |
| CORN | 2023-04-24 | [Swollen Upper Mississippi River Stalls Barge Traffic](https://feedsoft.ai/events/36574-swollen-upper-mississippi-river-stalls-barge-traffic.md) | -0.7% | -9.9% |
| SOY | 2022-11-07 | [Mississippi River's Low Levels Causing Barge Traffic Issues](https://feedsoft.ai/events/10337-mississippi-river-s-low-levels-causing-barge-traffic-issues.md) | +0.3% | -0.9% |
| SOY | 2022-01-27 | [Low Mississippi River water levels impact river users](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16735-low-mississippi-river-water-levels-impact-river-users.md) | +7.3% | +15.4% |
| SOY | 2025-08-27 | [The Mississippi River is Set to Fall to Severe Levels for the Fourth Year in a Row](https://feedsoft.ai/events/23510-the-mississippi-river-is-set-to-fall-to-severe-levels-for-the-fourth-year-in-a.md) | -1.2% | -1.9% |

## Sources

- icis.com: https://www.icis.com/explore/resources/news/2023/10/19/10935459/insight-mississippi-river-levels-hit-multi-year-lows-clogs-us-chem-traffic/

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.