Last week, ice storms and other severe weather temporarily halted barge operations on the Mississippi River around St. Louis, as well as on the Ohio River, Illinois River, and Lower Mississippi River areas.
As of February 25, most grain barges have resumed operations, except for those on the Illinois River. Minor delays persist, but no major disruptions are expected.
The barge industry expects navigating conditions on the Illinois River to continue to improve for the rest of the week. Next week, however, melting ice may cause high water conditions that could potentially challenge operations.
Reflecting last week’s severe weather impacts, total barge grain movements for the week ending February 20 were 488,462 tons, 46% lower than the previous four-week average and the lowest since April 2020. For the same week, 674 grain barges were unloaded in New Orleans, the fewest since the August 2020 hurricane season.
