Captain’s Log — Friday, September 4, 2026
Conditions on the Trent-Severn Waterway. Trenton → Georgian Bay, km 0–386.
Sturgeon Lake is the low spot on the system today at -10 cm (-4.0 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.
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 |
Clear, 15.8°C | WNW 3 kt (gust 16) | Mainly sunny. |
| Peterborough Locks 19–21 — Otonabee |
Mist, 12.6°C | SSW 2 kt (gust 15) | A mix of sun and cloud. |
| Fenelon Falls Locks 34–35 — Kawartha Lakes |
Mist, 12.6°C | SSW 2 kt (gust 15) | A mix of sun and cloud. |
| Orillia Locks 41–42 — Simcoe/Couchiching |
14.5°C | WNW 4 kt (gust 17) | Mainly cloudy. |
| Midland Lock 45 — Georgian Bay |
14.5°C | WNW 4 kt (gust 17) | A mix of sun and cloud. |
Sunrise 06:39, sunset 19:45 at Peterborough (Eastern).
Seasonal normal for the date: Low 10. High 22.
Open water — Simcoe and Georgian Bay
The two stretches on the waterway where the forecast actually decides your day.
Lake Simcoe
- Wind: Wind northwest 10 knots veering to north 10 near midnight. Wind north 10 Saturday.
- Covers: Today Tonight and Saturday.
The Lake Simcoe buoy is not currently reporting — last transmission Sep 4, 2026 2:00 am ET. Forecast only for this crossing.
Georgian Bay
- Wind: Wind northwest 10 knots veering to northeast 10 early this morning then backing to northwest 10 near noon. Wind veering to northeast 10 near midnight then backing to northwest 10 near noon Saturday.
- Waves: Waves 0.5 metres or less.
- Covers: Today Tonight and Saturday.
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.
- Lakehead students ‘super excited’ to begin new chapter in Orillia (7 photos) — OrilliaMatters, Sep 3
- Water soldier presents ‘serious, emerging’ challenge in Lake Simcoe — OrilliaMatters, Sep 3
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 | -1 cm (-0.6 in) | 🔵 |
| Lower Glen Ross | Lock 6 to Lock 8 Pool | +13 cm (+5.0 in) | 🟢 |
| Upper Glen Ross | Lock 8 to Lock 11 Pool | -4 cm (-1.6 in) | 🔵 |
| Crowe River | Crowe River Tributary | +8 cm (+3.1 in) | 🟢 |
| Indian River | Indian River to Rice Lake | +3 cm (+1.1 in) | 🔵 |
| Otonabee / Peterborough | Rice Lake to Lock 20 Pool | +12 cm (+4.9 in) | 🟢 |
| Sturgeon Lake | Sturgeon Lake / Fenelon Falls Pool | -10 cm (-4.0 in) | 🔴 |
| Burnt River | Burnt River to Balsam Lake | +50 cm (+19.6 in) | 🟢 |
| Gull River | Gull River to Balsam Lake | +14 cm (+5.4 in) | 🟢 |
| Head River | Head River to Lake Simcoe | +18 cm (+7.0 in) | 🟢 |
| Severn / Couchiching | Lake Couchiching Outflow | +18 cm (+7.1 in) | 🟢 |
| Wasdell Falls | Sparrow Lake to Big Chute Pool | +1 cm (+0.4 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 2026-09-04 05:00:03 ET.
Sécurité — navigational warnings
2 warning(s) published in the last seven days:
- NW-C-3867-26 — Swift Rapids — Lock Bridge Issue, 2026-09-03
Vicinity: Swift Rapids Category: Lock Closed Swift Rapids lock 43 closed to marine navigation beginning 041300 UTC Sep 2026 for maintenance. Charts: 2029(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 2026-09-04 06:00 ET from live feeds.