Captain’s Log — Sunday, September 20, 2026
Conditions on the Trent-Severn Waterway. Trenton → Georgian Bay, km 0–386.
Open water first: 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 -16 cm (-6.1 in) against its usual level for this month. Otonabee / Peterborough is also running low. 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, 10.5°C | NNE 5 kt (gust 15) | Mainly cloudy. |
| Peterborough Locks 19–21 — Otonabee |
Partly Cloudy, 6.8°C | NNE 3 kt (gust 16) | A mix of sun and cloud. |
| Fenelon Falls Locks 34–35 — Kawartha Lakes |
Partly Cloudy, 6.8°C | NNE 3 kt (gust 16) | A mix of sun and cloud. |
| Orillia Locks 41–42 — Simcoe/Couchiching |
7.5°C | ENE 2 kt (gust 18) | A mix of sun and cloud. |
| Midland Lock 45 — Georgian Bay |
7.5°C | ENE 2 kt (gust 18) | A mix of sun and cloud. |
Sunrise 06:58, sunset 19:15 at Peterborough (Eastern).
Seasonal normal for the date: Low 7. High 18.
Open water — Simcoe and Georgian Bay
The two stretches on the waterway where the forecast actually decides your day.
Lake Simcoe
- Wind: Wind variable 10 knots becoming north 10 this afternoon then increasing to northeast 15 near midnight. Wind diminishing to northeast 10 Monday morning then increasing to northeast 15 Monday evening.
- Covers: Today Tonight and Monday.
Observed at the buoy, Sep 20, 2026 4:00 am ET: NE 7.8 kt, seas 0.2 m (0.7 ft) at a 2-second period, water 19.5 °C.
Georgian Bay
⚠ Strong wind warning — in effect.
- Wind: Wind southeast 10 knots becoming variable 10 early this morning then increasing to north 15 near noon. Wind increasing to north 20 early this evening then veering to northeast 20 near midnight. Wind northeast 20 Monday.
- Waves: Waves 0.5 metres or less building to 0.5 to 1 this afternoon and to 1 to 1.5 this evening.
- 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.
- ⚠ Two moose on the loose in Victoria Harbour prompt warning from MNR — OrilliaMatters, Sep 19
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 | -2 cm (-0.7 in) | 🔵 |
| Lower Glen Ross | Lock 6 to Lock 8 Pool | -1 cm (-0.3 in) | 🔵 |
| Upper Glen Ross | Lock 8 to Lock 11 Pool | -0 cm (-0.1 in) | 🔵 |
| Crowe River | Crowe River Tributary | +10 cm (+4.1 in) | 🟢 |
| Indian River | Indian River to Rice Lake | -1 cm (-0.5 in) | 🔵 |
| Otonabee / Peterborough | Rice Lake to Lock 20 Pool | -10 cm (-4.1 in) | 🔴 |
| Sturgeon Lake | Sturgeon Lake / Fenelon Falls Pool | -16 cm (-6.1 in) | 🔴 |
| Burnt River | Burnt River to Balsam Lake | +4 cm (+1.6 in) | 🔵 |
| Gull River | Gull River to Balsam Lake | +6 cm (+2.4 in) | 🟢 |
| Head River | Head River to Lake Simcoe | +9 cm (+3.4 in) | 🟢 |
| Severn / Couchiching | Lake Couchiching Outflow | +10 cm (+4.0 in) | 🟢 |
| Wasdell Falls | Sparrow Lake to Big Chute Pool | +13 cm (+5.0 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 2026-09-20 05:00:03 ET.
Sécurité — navigational warnings
2 warning(s) published in the last seven days:
- NW-C-4046-26 — Franklin Island — Channel Obstruction, 2026-09-19
Vicinity: Franklin Island Category: Buoys Aids: Parry Sound green spar buoy P9 Awash Charts: 2203(NAD83), 2225(NAD27); Horizontal positions are based on NAD83. - NW-C-4041-26 — Meaford — Other, 2026-09-18
Vicinity: Meaford Category: Scientific Moorings Subsurface scientific moorings temporarily established 11.2 metres below the surface at: 44 41.187N 080 37.006W44 41.205N 080 37.009W44 41.220N 080 37.011W Keep clear 30 metres. Charts: 2283(WGS84)
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 2026-09-20 06:00 ET from live feeds.