Captain’s Log — Wednesday, September 2, 2026
Conditions on the Trent-Severn Waterway. Trenton → Georgian Bay, km 0–386.
Open water first: squall watch on Lake Simcoe; squall watch 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 -16 cm (-6.1 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.
1 new navigational warning since yesterday — details below.
Shoulder season. Traffic thins, lock hours start shrinking, and the nights get cold enough to matter.
On the water today
| Where | Now | Wind | Today |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trenton Lock 1 — Bay of Quinte |
Thunderstorm with rainshowers, 20.2°C | SE 2 kt (gust 16) | Mainly cloudy. |
| Peterborough Locks 19–21 — Otonabee |
Rain, 18.3°C | SSE 10 kt (gust 15) | Cloudy. |
| Fenelon Falls Locks 34–35 — Kawartha Lakes |
Rain, 18.3°C | SSE 10 kt (gust 15) | Showers ending this morning then mainly cloudy with 40 percent chance of showers this afternoon. |
| Orillia Locks 41–42 — Simcoe/Couchiching |
19.5°C | S 4 kt (gust 17) | Showers at times heavy ending this morning then mainly cloudy with 40 percent chance of showers this afternoon. |
| Midland Lock 45 — Georgian Bay |
19.5°C | S 4 kt (gust 17) | Showers ending this morning then cloudy with 40 percent chance of showers this afternoon. |
Sunrise 06:37, sunset 19:48 at Peterborough (Eastern).
Seasonal normal for the date: Low 11. High 22.
Open water — Simcoe and Georgian Bay
The two stretches on the waterway where the forecast actually decides your day.
Lake Simcoe
⚠ Squall watch — in effect.
- Wind: Wind light becoming southwest 10 knots near noon then veering to northwest 10 early this evening. Wind northwest 10 Thursday.
- Weather: Scattered showers ending Thursday morning with a risk of thunderstorms.
- Covers: Today Tonight and Thursday.
Observed at the buoy, Sep 2, 2026 6:00 am ET: SE 11.7 kt, seas 0.2 m (0.7 ft) at a 2-second period, water 21 °C.
Georgian Bay
⚠ Squall watch — in effect.
- Wind: Wind southeast 15 knots diminishing to variable 10 early this morning then increasing to southwest 15 this afternoon. Wind diminishing to northwest 10 near midnight then increasing to west 15 Thursday afternoon.
- Waves: Waves 0.5 metres or less building to 0.5 to 1 early this evening then subsiding to 0.5 or less overnight.
- Weather: Scattered showers and fog patches ending near midnight with a risk of thunderstorms.
- Covers: Today 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.
- ‘Bittersweet’: How Canada’s last captive whales were moved out of Marineland — OrilliaMatters, Sep 1
- Special Weather Statement Issued For Kawartha Lakes — Kawartha 411, Aug 31
- Brush Bundling Used To Address 45-Metre Erosion Scar Along The Burnt River — Kawartha 411, Aug 31
- Kawartha Lakes Recognizes Local Environmental Heroes — Kawartha 411, Aug 30
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 | -4 cm (-1.4 in) | 🔵 |
| Lower Glen Ross | Lock 6 to Lock 8 Pool | +2 cm (+0.8 in) | 🔵 |
| Upper Glen Ross | Lock 8 to Lock 11 Pool | +1 cm (+0.5 in) | 🔵 |
| Crowe River | Crowe River Tributary | -6 cm (-2.4 in) | 🟠 |
| Indian River | Indian River to Rice Lake | +3 cm (+1.1 in) | 🔵 |
| Otonabee / Peterborough | Rice Lake to Lock 20 Pool | +4 cm (+1.4 in) | 🔵 |
| Sturgeon Lake | Sturgeon Lake / Fenelon Falls Pool | -16 cm (-6.1 in) | 🔴 |
| Burnt River | Burnt River to Balsam Lake | +56 cm (+21.9 in) | 🟢 |
| Gull River | Gull River to Balsam Lake | +9 cm (+3.5 in) | 🟢 |
| Head River | Head River to Lake Simcoe | +15 cm (+6.1 in) | 🟢 |
| Severn / Couchiching | Lake Couchiching Outflow | +19 cm (+7.4 in) | 🟢 |
| Wasdell Falls | Sparrow Lake to Big Chute Pool | +2 cm (+0.8 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 2026-09-02 06:50:03 ET.
Sécurité — navigational warnings
3 warning(s) published in the last seven days:
- NW-C-3847-26 — Tobermory — Other, 2026-09-02
Vicinity: Tobermory Category: Diving Operation Crewed submersible diving operations taking place from 021200 UTC Sep 2026 until 022130 UTC Sep 2026 at 45 16.9N 081 37.7W. Orange and white dive support boat on scene. Charts: 2235(NAD83) - NW-C-3829-26 — Galbraith Island — Other, 2026-08-31
Vicinity: Galbraith Island Category: Aids to Navigation (Other) Aids: Port daybeacon DB-CE3 Damaged Charts: 2202(NAD83) - NW-C-3816-26 — Gouette Island — Shallow Spot, 2026-08-31
Vicinity: Gouette Island Category: Shallow Depth Reported Shallow depth reported in the vicinity of 44 49.168N 079 41.621W at 311323 UTC Aug 2026. Charts: 2029(NAD83), 2029(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 2026-09-02 07:55 ET from live feeds.