In the central United States, their worst drought in at least a decade has pushed the Mississippi River and its tributaries to drop to record lows this month.
As CNN explains, dozens of gauges have fallen below their low-water threshold. This led the Mississippi River to fall at historically low levels from Illinois to Louisiana, and many of these gauges will continue to see decreasing water levels as the forecast remains stubbornly dry.
More specifically, the river dropped to minus-10.75 feet there, according to data from the National Weather Service, which was the lowest level ever recorded in Memphis.
At the beginning of the month, a logjam of ships, tugboats and barges because of low water levels on the Mississippi River threatened trade of grains, fertilizer and other goods.
In fact, the USCG informed that there was a queue of 122 vessels at Stack Island and 15 vessels at Memphis, while due to increased groundings, the number of vessels in tow was restricted.