Low water conditions are expected to persist at St Louis harbor on the Mississippi River through March, causing barge loading issues for both carriers and shippers.
Minimal precipitation coupled with increased ice formation along the harbordecreased water levels to -3.3ft on 19 February at St Louis, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
Some terminals at the harbor have been unable to load and unload barges because of the low water. Carriers expect this to become a larger issue when barges carrying northbound products reach St Louis in March.
Although low water has been an issue at the harbor since early January, more barge carriers and shippers began to prepare for slipping water levels when grain barge movement picked up later that month.
Some barge carriers have reduced the amount of product placed in barges in order to keep drafts from dipping below 9.6ft this week. Low water levels are anticipated to remain through 4 March, which may hinder barge loadings and increase delays at St Louis.
St Louis has received less than an inch of rainfall over the past seven days, according to the NWS. There has been even less precipitation upriver in the Northern Plains over the past week.
Larger ice formations have appeared in the harbor on account of freezing conditions. The city of St Louis is under winter weather advisory, and is forecast to receive 1-3in of snow between 18-19 February, according to NWS.
