Barge season begins

Mississippi River Ice Breakup Signals End of Winter

The ice on the Mississippi River has broken up enough to allow barge traffic to begin moving upstream. This is significant for the area as it officially signals the end of winter weather.

We experienced a significant blizzard in December, and without a mid-winter melt, the snow accumulated all winter, resulting in the fourth snowiest winter on record.

This has led to flooding concerns along the Mississippi River. However, just as the days began getting longer, we entered a prolonged period of weather that hovered around the 32-degree mark. This substantially slowed the melting, and the river crested just below the flood point. Another crest is expected in about three weeks when the runoff from up north reaches this area.

The photo above was taken from the Eisenhower Bridge.