Captain’s Log — Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Conditions on the Trent-Severn Waterway. Trenton → Georgian Bay, km 0–386.
Open water first: strong wind warning on Georgian Bay; strong wind warning on Georgian Bay. If your day involves the crossing, check the marine forecast below before you commit to it.
Sturgeon Lake is the low spot on the system today at -13 cm (-5.0 in) against its usual level for this month. That doesn’t move the chart — it moves what’s under your keel.
All 40 locks and 12 bridges are showing operable on the Parks Canada feed.
Peak season, late half. Water levels begin their late-summer decline and the shallow edges get shallower.
On the water today
| Where | Now | Wind | Today |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trenton Lock 1 — Bay of Quinte |
Partly Cloudy, 23.1°C | SE 2 kt (gust 18) | A few clouds. |
| Peterborough Locks 19–21 — Otonabee |
Sunny, 21.3°C | SSE 7 kt (gust 17) | Partly cloudy. |
| Fenelon Falls Locks 34–35 — Kawartha Lakes |
Sunny, 21.3°C | SSE 7 kt (gust 17) | Increasing cloudiness. |
| Orillia Locks 41–42 — Simcoe/Couchiching |
21.5°C | SSE 8 kt (gust 15) | Becoming cloudy this evening with 40 percent chance of showers late this evening and overnight. |
| Midland Lock 45 — Georgian Bay |
21.5°C | SSE 8 kt (gust 15) | Mainly cloudy. |
Sunrise 06:29, sunset 20:01 at Peterborough (Eastern).
Seasonal normal for the date: Low 12. High 23.
Open water — Simcoe and Georgian Bay
The two stretches on the waterway where the forecast actually decides your day.
Lake Simcoe
- Wind: Wind south 15 knots veering to southwest 15 late overnight then increasing to northwest 15 to 20 near noon Thursday.
- Weather: Scattered showers overnight and Thursday. Risk of thunderstorms overnight and Thursday morning. Fog patches forming Thursday morning and dissipating near noon Thursday.
- Covers: Tonight and Thursday.
Observed at the buoy, Aug 26, 2026 6:00 pm ET: SSE 13.6 kt, seas 0.5 m (1.6 ft) at a 3-second period, water 21.5 °C.
Georgian Bay
⚠ Strong wind warning, Strong wind warning — in effect.
- Wind: Wind south 10 knots increasing to west 15 early Thursday morning and to north 20 Thursday evening.
- Waves: Waves 0.5 to 1 metre.
- Weather: Scattered showers with a risk of thunderstorms tonight and Thursday afternoon and evening. Fog patches forming near midnight and dissipating Thursday morning.
- Covers: Tonight and Thursday.
Along the waterway
Reported in the corridor over the last few days. Headlines are the publishers’ own — follow the link for the current state of any story, since these move faster than a daily post can.
- ⚠ Historic investment marks ‘vote of confidence’ in Rescue Lake Simcoe — OrilliaMatters, Aug 26
- Erick Watson, Beth And Ruth Handley Remember The Burnt River Bullies Baseball Tournament For Its 50th Anniversary — Kawartha 411, Aug 26
- Olivia Avery From Kawartha Lakes Crowned The CNE’s 2026 Ambassador Of Fairs! — Kawartha 411, Aug 25
- Certified List Of Municipal Election Candidates For Kawartha Lakes — Kawartha 411, Aug 24
Water levels
Each gauge is compared against its own historical average for this month. The deviation is the number that matters — gauge datum is not chart datum, so the reading itself won’t tell you a depth, but the change from normal tells you how today compares to a typical day this time of year.
| Gauge | Pool | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trenton | Bay of Quinte to Lock 1 | -6 cm (-2.2 in) | 🟠 |
| Lower Glen Ross | Lock 6 to Lock 8 Pool | -1 cm (-0.4 in) | 🔵 |
| Upper Glen Ross | Lock 8 to Lock 11 Pool | +2 cm (+0.9 in) | 🔵 |
| Crowe River | Crowe River Tributary | +17 cm (+6.8 in) | 🟢 |
| Indian River | Indian River to Rice Lake | +8 cm (+3.0 in) | 🟢 |
| Otonabee / Peterborough | Rice Lake to Lock 20 Pool | +3 cm (+1.3 in) | 🔵 |
| Sturgeon Lake | Sturgeon Lake / Fenelon Falls Pool | -13 cm (-5.0 in) | 🔴 |
| Burnt River | Burnt River to Balsam Lake | +7 cm (+2.8 in) | 🟢 |
| Gull River | Gull River to Balsam Lake | +7 cm (+2.9 in) | 🟢 |
| Head River | Head River to Lake Simcoe | +8 cm (+3.3 in) | 🟢 |
| Severn / Couchiching | Lake Couchiching Outflow | +13 cm (+5.2 in) | 🟢 |
| Wasdell Falls | Sparrow Lake to Big Chute Pool | +2 cm (+0.6 in) | 🔵 |
🔴 more than 10 cm low · 🟠 5–10 cm low · 🔵 within 5 cm of normal · 🟢 above normal. Live readings and 30-day charts →
Locks and bridges
All 40 locks and 12 bridges on the Parks Canada feed are reporting operable.
Parks Canada status last synced 2026-08-26 18:50:03 ET.
Sécurité — navigational warnings
4 warning(s) published in the last seven days:
- NW-C-3696-26 — Washago — Channel Obstruction, 2026-08-24
Vicinity: Washago Category: Buoys Aids: Washago outer light buoy S283 LL 1374 Unlit Charts: 2028(NAD83) - NW-C-3682-26 — Meaford — Other, 2026-08-24
Vicinity: Meaford Category: MCTS VHF Services Sarnia MCTS. All services located at Meaford operating intermittently weekdays from 1200 UTC until 2000 UTC beginning 24 Aug 2026 until 04 Sep 2026 for maintenance. Charts: 2283(WGS84) - NW-C-3671-26 — Meaford Harbour — Other, 2026-08-23
Vicinity: Meaford Harbour Category: Dredging Operation Dredging operations taking place Monday to Saturday from 1200 UTC to 2200 UTC in Meaford harbour beginning 24 Aug 2026. Barge and excavator on site. Charts: 2283(WGS84) - NW-C-3639-26 — Toad Island — Channel Obstruction, 2026-08-20
Vicinity: Toad Island Category: Buoys Aids: Beaverstone Bay entrance green spar buoy D91 Off station Charts: 2204(NAD83), 2204(NAD83)
Sources: Environment and Climate Change Canada (weather, marine and hydrometric data, Open Government Licence — Canada); Parks Canada Trent-Severn Waterway lockstation status; Canadian Coast Guard NAVWARNs; regional news headlines as published and linked to their sources. Water gauge readings are on assumed datum and are not chart datum.
This is not a substitute for official sources. Conditions change faster than any daily post. Check Parks Canada before you travel and carry current charts.
Compiled 2026-08-26 19:50 ET from live feeds.