Captain’s Log — Monday, September 7, 2026
Conditions on the Trent-Severn Waterway. Trenton → Georgian Bay, km 0–386.
Sturgeon Lake is the low spot on the system today at -12 cm (-4.9 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.
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, 13.1°C | NNE 2 kt (gust 15) | Sunny. |
| Peterborough Locks 19–21 — Otonabee |
Fog, 9.0°C | — | Sunny. |
| Fenelon Falls Locks 34–35 — Kawartha Lakes |
Fog, 9.0°C | — | Sunny. |
| Orillia Locks 41–42 — Simcoe/Couchiching |
10.3°C | WNW 3 kt (gust 17) | Sunny. |
| Midland Lock 45 — Georgian Bay |
10.3°C | WNW 3 kt (gust 17) | Sunny. |
Sunrise 06:43, sunset 19:39 at Peterborough (Eastern).
Seasonal normal for the date: Low 10. High 21.
Open water — Simcoe and Georgian Bay
The two stretches on the waterway where the forecast actually decides your day.
Lake Simcoe
- Wind: Wind light becoming south 10 knots Tuesday evening.
- Weather: Fog patches dissipating this morning.
- Covers: Today Tonight and Tuesday.
Observed at the buoy, Sep 7, 2026 4:00 am ET: SSE 5.8 kt, seas 0.1 m (0.3 ft) at a 2-second period, water 21.2 °C.
Georgian Bay
- Wind: Wind light becoming west 10 knots this morning then becoming light overnight. Wind becoming southeast 10 Tuesday afternoon then increasing to south 15 Tuesday evening.
- Waves: Waves 0.5 metres or less.
- Covers: Today Tonight and Tuesday.
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.
- ⚠ Aging steamer Enterprise sank at Lake Simcoe wharf after 1903 leak — OrilliaMatters, Sep 6
- GUEST COLUMN: Life renews itself each summer at the lake — OrilliaMatters, Sep 6
- Learn About The State Of Our Lakes At Symposium In Fenelon Falls — Kawartha 411, Sep 6
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 (-1.5 in) | 🔵 |
| Lower Glen Ross | Lock 6 to Lock 8 Pool | +8 cm (+3.2 in) | 🟢 |
| Upper Glen Ross | Lock 8 to Lock 11 Pool | +3 cm (+1.3 in) | 🔵 |
| Crowe River | Crowe River Tributary | +13 cm (+5.2 in) | 🟢 |
| Indian River | Indian River to Rice Lake | +1 cm (+0.5 in) | 🔵 |
| Otonabee / Peterborough | Rice Lake to Lock 20 Pool | +2 cm (+0.8 in) | 🔵 |
| Sturgeon Lake | Sturgeon Lake / Fenelon Falls Pool | -12 cm (-4.9 in) | 🔴 |
| Burnt River | Burnt River to Balsam Lake | +33 cm (+12.9 in) | 🟢 |
| Gull River | Gull River to Balsam Lake | +12 cm (+4.8 in) | 🟢 |
| Head River | Head River to Lake Simcoe | +14 cm (+5.4 in) | 🟢 |
| Severn / Couchiching | Lake Couchiching Outflow | +16 cm (+6.4 in) | 🟢 |
| Wasdell Falls | Sparrow Lake to Big Chute Pool | +0 cm (+0.0 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 2026-09-07 04:50:07 ET.
Sécurité — navigational warnings
1 warning(s) published in the last seven days:
- NW-C-3880-26 — Meaford — Other, 2026-09-05
Vicinity: Meaford Category: Military Exercises (Other) Exercises using white parachute flares taking place daily until 010400 UTC Oct 2026 at the Land Force Central Area Training Centre in Meaford. Charts: 2201(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 2026-09-07 06:00 ET from live feeds.