Mississippi Barge Traffic Seen Benefiting From St. Louis Storms
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Rain will keep water levels high enough to avert a shutdown of barge traffic along a Mississippi River choke point this month before volumes begin a seasonal rise in February, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said.
More than an inch of rain is expected in St. Louis tomorrow, with further precipitation in four of the following five days, Bloomberg weather data show. That should improve a forecast that has the Mississippi downriver near Thebes, Illinois, falling to levels where barges would face restrictions by Jan. 22, said Michael Petersen, a Corps spokesman. Contractors are currently removing rock obstacles from the riverbed near Thebes to help keep the channel open.