Captain’s Log — Sunday, September 13, 2026
Conditions on the Trent-Severn Waterway. Trenton → Georgian Bay, km 0–386.
Open water first: strong wind warning on Lake Simcoe; 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 -15 cm (-5.9 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.
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 |
Cloudy, 21.5°C | SW 8 kt (gust 21) | A mix of sun and cloud. |
| Peterborough Locks 19–21 — Otonabee |
Mist, 18.2°C | S 4 kt (gust 21) | A mix of sun and cloud. |
| Fenelon Falls Locks 34–35 — Kawartha Lakes |
Mist, 18.2°C | S 4 kt (gust 21) | A mix of sun and cloud. |
| Orillia Locks 41–42 — Simcoe/Couchiching |
19.6°C | W 7 kt (gust 16) | A mix of sun and cloud. |
| Midland Lock 45 — Georgian Bay |
19.6°C | W 7 kt (gust 16) | A mix of sun and cloud. |
Sunrise 06:50, sunset 19:28 at Peterborough (Eastern).
Seasonal normal for the date: Low 9. High 20.
Open water — Simcoe and Georgian Bay
The two stretches on the waterway where the forecast actually decides your day.
Lake Simcoe
⚠ Strong wind warning — in effect.
- Wind: Wind northwest 10 knots increasing to northwest 20 this afternoon then diminishing to north 15 late overnight. Wind diminishing to northwest 10 Monday morning then becoming light Monday evening.
- Weather: Scattered showers ending this morning with a risk of thunderstorms. Scattered showers this evening.
- Covers: Today Tonight and Monday.
Observed at the buoy, Sep 13, 2026 4:00 am ET: WSW 5.8 kt, seas 0.2 m (0.7 ft) at a 2-second period, water 20.9 °C.
Georgian Bay
⚠ Strong wind warning — in effect.
- Wind: Wind west 15 knots veering to northwest 15 early this morning then increasing to west 20 near noon. Wind veering to northwest 25 early this evening then diminishing to northwest 15 Monday morning. Wind diminishing to northwest 10 near noon Monday then becoming light Monday evening.
- Waves: Waves 1.5 to 2 metres.
- Weather: Scattered showers ending early this morning with a risk of thunderstorms. Scattered showers tonight.
- Covers: Today Tonight and Monday.
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.
- Ukrainian President Zelenskyy arrives in North Bay (6 photos) — OrilliaMatters, Sep 11
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 | -3 cm (-1.1 in) | 🔵 |
| Lower Glen Ross | Lock 6 to Lock 8 Pool | +0 cm (+0.2 in) | 🔵 |
| Upper Glen Ross | Lock 8 to Lock 11 Pool | -2 cm (-0.7 in) | 🔵 |
| Crowe River | Crowe River Tributary | +26 cm (+10.2 in) | 🟢 |
| Indian River | Indian River to Rice Lake | +0 cm (+0.1 in) | 🔵 |
| Otonabee / Peterborough | Rice Lake to Lock 20 Pool | -4 cm (-1.7 in) | 🔵 |
| Sturgeon Lake | Sturgeon Lake / Fenelon Falls Pool | -15 cm (-5.9 in) | 🔴 |
| Burnt River | Burnt River to Balsam Lake | +21 cm (+8.1 in) | 🟢 |
| Gull River | Gull River to Balsam Lake | +13 cm (+5.0 in) | 🟢 |
| Head River | Head River to Lake Simcoe | +15 cm (+5.8 in) | 🟢 |
| Severn / Couchiching | Lake Couchiching Outflow | +16 cm (+6.3 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 2026-09-13 04:50:06 ET.
Sécurité — navigational warnings
1 warning(s) published in the last seven days:
- NW-C-3951-26 — Midland — Other, 2026-09-12
Vicinity: Midland Category: Deadhead Adrift Deadhead 30 centimetres in diameter reported adrift in the vicinity of 44 47.0N 079 50.9W at 122202 UTC Sep 2026. Charts: 2202(NAD83), 2241(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 2026-09-13 06:00 ET from live feeds.