Captain’s Log — Friday, September 25, 2026
Conditions on the Trent-Severn Waterway. Trenton → Georgian Bay, km 0–386.
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, Trenton are 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.
2 new navigational warnings 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, 4.9°C | — | Sunny. |
| Peterborough Locks 19–21 — Otonabee |
Mist, -0.2°C | — | Sunny. |
| Fenelon Falls Locks 34–35 — Kawartha Lakes |
Mist, -0.2°C | — | Sunny. |
| Orillia Locks 41–42 — Simcoe/Couchiching |
4.2°C | N 2 kt (gust 16) | Sunny. |
| Midland Lock 45 — Georgian Bay |
4.2°C | N 2 kt (gust 16) | Sunny. |
Sunrise 07:04, sunset 19:06 at Peterborough (Eastern).
Seasonal normal for the date: Low 6. High 17.
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 north 10 knots this afternoon then veering to northeast 10 Saturday evening.
- Covers: Today Tonight and Saturday.
Observed at the buoy, Sep 25, 2026 4:00 am ET: NE 5.8 kt, seas 0.1 m (0.3 ft) at a 2-second period, water 18 °C.
Georgian Bay
- Wind: Wind light becoming northwest 10 knots this afternoon then veering to northeast 10 this evening. Wind increasing to north 15 near noon Saturday then veering to northeast 15 Saturday evening.
- Waves: Waves 0.5 metres or less building to 0.5 to 1 Saturday afternoon.
- 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.
- ⚠ No injuries reported as excavators tumble into Georgian Bay — OrilliaMatters, Sep 24
- New project will map, monitor invasive phragmites in Lake Simcoe — OrilliaMatters, Sep 24
- Teen Charged After School Lockdown In Quinte West — Kawartha 411, Sep 24
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 | -11 cm (-4.4 in) | 🔴 |
| Lower Glen Ross | Lock 6 to Lock 8 Pool | -6 cm (-2.3 in) | 🟠 |
| Upper Glen Ross | Lock 8 to Lock 11 Pool | +0 cm (+0.1 in) | 🔵 |
| Crowe River | Crowe River Tributary | +7 cm (+2.7 in) | 🟢 |
| Indian River | Indian River to Rice Lake | -2 cm (-0.6 in) | 🔵 |
| Otonabee / Peterborough | Rice Lake to Lock 20 Pool | -14 cm (-5.4 in) | 🔴 |
| Sturgeon Lake | Sturgeon Lake / Fenelon Falls Pool | -16 cm (-6.1 in) | 🔴 |
| Burnt River | Burnt River to Balsam Lake | -8 cm (-3.1 in) | 🟠 |
| Gull River | Gull River to Balsam Lake | +2 cm (+0.8 in) | 🔵 |
| Head River | Head River to Lake Simcoe | +5 cm (+1.9 in) | 🔵 |
| Severn / Couchiching | Lake Couchiching Outflow | +2 cm (+0.8 in) | 🔵 |
| Wasdell Falls | Sparrow Lake to Big Chute Pool | +11 cm (+4.3 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 2026-09-25 05:00:03 ET.
Sécurité — navigational warnings
3 warning(s) published in the last seven days:
- NW-C-4110-26 — Killarney — Other, 2026-09-25
Vicinity: Killarney Category: Diving Operation Crewed submersible diving operations taking place from 251200 UTC Sep 2026 until 252130 UTC Sep 2026 at 45 57.6N 081 29.9W. Orange and white dive support boat on scene. Charts: 2204(NAD83) - NW-C-4101-26 — Rose Island — Other, 2026-09-24
Vicinity: Rose Island Category: Scientific Moorings Scientific mooring temporarily established at 45 19.763N 080 07.393W, unlit. Charts: 2202(NAD83), 2203(NAD83), 2224(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 2026-09-25 06:00 ET from live feeds.