Captain’s Log — Sunday, October 4, 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.
All 40 locks and 12 bridges are showing operable on the Parks Canada feed.
1 new navigational warning since yesterday — details below.
Season’s end. Confirm lock hours before you move; the system drains down after closing.
On the water today
| Where | Now | Wind | Today |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trenton Lock 1 — Bay of Quinte |
Mainly Clear, 4.7°C | NE 5 kt (gust 16) | Increasing cloudiness. |
| Peterborough Locks 19–21 — Otonabee |
Fog, 1.6°C | — | Increasing cloudiness. |
| Fenelon Falls Locks 34–35 — Kawartha Lakes |
Fog, 1.6°C | — | Increasing cloudiness. |
| Orillia Locks 41–42 — Simcoe/Couchiching |
6.5°C | NW 2 kt (gust 19) | Increasing cloudiness. |
| Midland Lock 45 — Georgian Bay |
6.5°C | NW 2 kt (gust 19) | Increasing cloudiness early this morning. |
Sunrise 07:14, sunset 18:49 at Peterborough (Eastern).
Seasonal normal for the date: Low plus 4. High 15.
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 southeast 10 knots increasing to southwest 15 near noon then veering to northwest 15 early this evening. Wind increasing to northwest 20 near midnight then diminishing to northwest 10 Monday evening.
- Weather: Scattered showers today and tonight.
- Covers: Today Tonight and Monday.
Observed at the buoy, Oct 4, 2026 4:00 am ET: S 7.8 kt, seas 0.4 m (1.3 ft) at a 3-second period, water 17.3 °C.
Georgian Bay
⚠ Strong wind warning — in effect.
- Wind: Wind south 15 knots increasing to southwest 20 this morning then veering to northwest 25 early this evening. Wind increasing to northwest 30 near midnight then diminishing to northwest 20 Monday afternoon.
- Waves: Waves 0.5 to 1 metre building to 1.5 near noon and to 2 to 3 this evening. Waves subsiding to 1.5 Monday evening.
- Weather: Scattered showers today this evening and Monday.
- 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.
- COLUMN: While swimming upstream amid amalgamation, vital work goes on — OrilliaMatters, Oct 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 | +24 cm (+9.6 in) | 🟢 |
| Lower Glen Ross | Lock 6 to Lock 8 Pool | +2 cm (+0.6 in) | 🔵 |
| Upper Glen Ross | Lock 8 to Lock 11 Pool | +1 cm (+0.4 in) | 🔵 |
| Crowe River | Crowe River Tributary | -7 cm (-2.6 in) | 🟠 |
| Indian River | Indian River to Rice Lake | +4 cm (+1.5 in) | 🔵 |
| Otonabee / Peterborough | Rice Lake to Lock 20 Pool | -0 cm (-0.0 in) | 🔵 |
| Sturgeon Lake | Sturgeon Lake / Fenelon Falls Pool | -10 cm (-3.9 in) | 🟠 |
| Burnt River | Burnt River to Balsam Lake | -8 cm (-3.3 in) | 🟠 |
| Gull River | Gull River to Balsam Lake | +8 cm (+3.3 in) | 🟢 |
| Head River | Head River to Lake Simcoe | -3 cm (-1.2 in) | 🔵 |
| Severn / Couchiching | Lake Couchiching Outflow | +2 cm (+0.8 in) | 🔵 |
| Wasdell Falls | Sparrow Lake to Big Chute Pool | +9 cm (+3.7 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 2026-10-04 05:00:04 ET.
Sécurité — navigational warnings
2 warning(s) published in the last seven days:
- NW-C-4205-26 — CFB Trenton — Other, 2026-10-03
Vicinity: CFB Trenton Category: Military Exercises (Other) Military exercises involving 8 small boats taking place from 031400 UTC until 042000 UTC Oct 2026 in the Bay of Quinte. Charts: 2011(NAD83) - NW-C-4177-26 — Meaford — Other, 2026-09-30
Vicinity: Meaford Category: Military Exercises (Other) Exercises using white parachute flares taking place daily until 010400 UTC Nov 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 2026-10-04 06:00 ET from live feeds.