List of rivers that have reversed direction

A number of rivers are known to have reversed the direction of their flow, either permanently or temporarily, in response to geological activity, weather events, climate change, or direct human intervention.

Permanent reversals

Natural
RiverOriginal outletCurrent outletContinentDate of reversalCause of reversalReferences
Amazon RiverPacific OceanAtlantic OceanSouth AmericaCretaceous periodFormation of Andes Mountains[1]
Wisconsin RiverGreat Lakes BasinMississippi RiverNorth AmericaPleistocene EpochPre-Illinoian glaciers[2]

Artificial
Construction of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal
RiverOriginal outletCurrent outletContinentDate of reversalCause of reversalReferences
Chicago RiverLake MichiganMississippi RiverNorth America1900Construction of Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal[1]

Temporary reversals
The Reversing Falls of the Saint John River, flowing upriver

Daily

All tidal sections of rivers reverse their flow with the tide about twice a day (or semidiurnally), by definition. The following are notable examples.[3]

RiverOutletContinentReferences
Hudson RiverUpper New York BayNorth America[3]
Saint John River (Reversing Falls)Bay of FundyNorth America[4]
Salmon RiverBay of FundyNorth America[5]

Annual
RiverOutletContinentCause of reversalReferences
Krupa RiverNeretva RiverEuropeHigh water levels of the Neretva River[6]
Petexbatún RiverPasión RiverCentral AmericaWinter rain flooding of the Pasión River[7]
Qiantang RiverHangzhou BayAsiaTidal bore in Hangzhou Bay[8]
Tonlé Sap RiverMekong RiverAsiaMonsoon flooding of the Mekong River[9]

Intermittent

Hurricane storm surges often cause temporary reversals of coastal rivers.[1]

RiverOutletContinentDate of reversalCause of reversalReferences
Chicago River[lower-alpha 1]Mississippi RiverNorth America2017 and others[lower-alpha 2]Storm surge[10]
Mississippi RiverGulf of MexicoNorth America 1812Tectonic uplift caused by New Madrid earthquakes[11]
2005Storm surge from Hurricane Katrina[1]
2012Storm surge from Hurricane Isaac[1][12]
2021 Storm surge from Hurricane Ida [13]
  1. These reversals represent a return to the Chicago River's original natural outlet in Lake Michigan.
  2. Reversals of the Chicago River have been increasing in frequency in association with global warming, and may soon occur at least once each year.[10]

See also
  • Stream capture, in which a stream or river is diverted from its own bed, and flows instead down a neighboring channel

References
  1. Borneman, Elizabeth (November 24, 2014). "Rivers that Flow Backwards". Geo Lounge. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  2. "When the Wisconsin River Flowed East". 11 September 2018.
  3. "The Hudson Estuary: A River That Flows Two Ways". New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  4. "Reversing Falls". New-Brunswick.net. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  5. Dinshaw, Fram (June 19, 2018). "What a bore! Truro's 'marvellous' tidal event a daily tourist draw | SaltWire". www.saltwire.com. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  6. Krupa River Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  7. The Petexbatún eco-system (in Spanish) Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  8. The Bore Tides of the Qiantang River Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  9. Jennings, Ken (February 2, 2015). "Why the Tonle Sap River Is Unlike Any Other River in the World". Condé Nast Traveler. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  10. "How Climate Change Is Making This River Run Backwards". EcoWatch. Natural Resources Defense Council. June 4, 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  11. Soniak, Matt (January 25, 2013). "Has a U.S. River Run Backwards Before?". Mental Floss. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  12. "Mississippi River Flows Backwards Due to Isaac". USGS Newsroom. United States Geological Survey. August 29, 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  13. "Hurricane Ida Is So Strong It Reversed the Mississippi's Current". interestingengineering.com. 2021-08-30. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
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