In the last year, severe drought has shriveled the Mississippi River. In places like Tennessee, there are huge expanses of exposed riverbed and only a few disconnected pools of water.
In some areas, the drought has withered the Mississippi to the point that people can stand on land in the middle of the river. More explorers are walking the riverbeds, and they are finding items that were hidden under the gushing water, including a historical shipwreck.
But the Mississippi River is the longest river in North America, and it’s long been used to supply drinking water, irrigate crops and transport goods. And without the needed depth, barges can’t get through and water supplies are threatened.
In southeastern Missouri, hikers have long visited Tower Rock, a rock formation in the middle of the Mississippi River. Typically, visitors must take a boat to reach the rock, but by October 2022, the river level dropped below 1.5 feet, exposing a jagged pathway. Hikers can now walk across the riverbed to the rock without getting their feet wet.
