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The Mississippi River watershed covers nearly half of the continental United States. Millions of people rely on the river system for drinking water, commerce and recreation. It is an important economic driver and an important ecological habitat for countless species. But the basin is changing.
For hundreds of years, people have managed their relationship with the great river—from indigenous communities that relocated as the river changed course, to the Army Corps' aggressive engineering of the river to prevent flooding over the past 100 years. These levees and flood walls have protected millions of people and billions of dollars worth of property.
Now the basin faces new challenges — climate change is bringing more extreme weather patterns, with the river and its tributaries frequently moving between flood and drought, straining infrastructure and flooding communities. Extreme heat and smoke-filled skies threaten public health. Key species are affected by these extremes, threatening ecological collapse.
It is a critical time for the watershed. Journalists with the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, a regional collaboration, tell the story — from the effects of low water on shipping, extreme weather affecting farmers, climate change engineering and planting more climate-resilient crops. We are dedicated to showing how climate change is changing the basin and how humans and other species are adapting to the new normal.
read the stories in this series
Climate report shows grim future for Mississippi River Basin, already impacted
The Fifth National Climate Assessment, released earlier this month, warns of widespread climate impacts across the United States. The effects on people and the environment in the Mississippi River basin are extreme, but experts stress that it is not too late to slow the worsening effects.
The drought on the Mississippi River is expected to continue into the winter
A lack of rain brought drought to much of the Mississippi River basin early this summer and is likely to continue into the winter, Army Corps of Engineers leadership said during a Nov. 8 press conference in Memphis as a dredge worked nonstop. to maintain the river channel opens a few miles south.
Insufficient regulatory safeguards leave farmers suffocating in the face of increasing heat waves
One-fifth of reported heat-related deaths between 2017 and 2022 were agricultural workers, according to OSHA data. Academics, occupational health experts and advocacy groups are drawing attention to the underreported effects of climate change on this group from the heatwaves.
Most of the Midwest is in a drought—and there's no simple way out of it
A hot summer and dry spring have brought drought to much of the Midwest. The lack of moisture has far-reaching effects, including on agriculture and water levels in the country's major rivers. Experts say it shows that exiting a drought is much more difficult than entering one.
'This is on our doorstep now': Smoke from wildfires is a new danger in the upper Midwest
Smoke from Canada's wildfires that turned skies along the East Coast a sickly yellow also brought air quality warnings across much of the Midwest this week. Climate experts say that as the planet warms, this kind of unhealthy air will become less of an anomaly.
Midwestern states, often described as climate paradises, are suffering from a summer of smoke, drought and heat
“As the climate changes, it changes everything for everyone,” says one expert.
Midwest drought: Corn, soybeans suffer as forecasters don't expect quick relief for farmers
Warm conditions are expected to persist in eastern Iowa, Missouri, Illinois and Wisconsin. River barges are also affected.
Millets — Ancient Drought-Resistant Cereals — Could Help Midwestern Countries Survive Climate Change
The United Nations has declared 2023 the International Year of the Millet. Some Midwestern farmers are already growing the wheat.
Mississippi River floodplain swamps in the upper Midwest
A very wet winter brings major spring flooding along the upper Mississippi River. In some communities, flood waters are among the top three on record. Although the water is expected to peak and begin receding in most places by next week, its effects will remain.
