Captain’s Log — Tuesday, October 6, 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.
Burnt River is the low spot on the system today at -14 cm (-5.4 in) against its usual level for this month. Sturgeon Lake 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.
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 |
Clear, 2.9°C | W 3 kt (gust 17) | Sunny. |
| Peterborough Locks 19–21 — Otonabee |
Clear, -0.8°C | W 5 kt (gust 22) | Sunny. |
| Fenelon Falls Locks 34–35 — Kawartha Lakes |
Clear, -0.8°C | W 5 kt (gust 22) | Sunny. |
| Orillia Locks 41–42 — Simcoe/Couchiching |
-0.6°C | W 3 kt (gust 16) | Sunny. |
| Midland Lock 45 — Georgian Bay |
-0.6°C | W 3 kt (gust 16) | Mainly sunny. |
Sunrise 07:17, sunset 18:45 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 north 10 knots becoming light early this morning then becoming south 10 early this evening. Wind increasing to southwest 20 near midnight then diminishing to southwest 15 Wednesday morning. Wind veering to west 15 Wednesday afternoon.
- Weather: Scattered showers overnight and Wednesday morning. Scattered showers Wednesday evening with a risk of thunderstorms.
- Covers: Today Tonight and Wednesday.
Observed at the buoy, Oct 6, 2026 4:00 am ET: N 7.8 kt, seas 0.2 m (0.7 ft) at a 2-second period, water 16.5 °C.
Georgian Bay
⚠ Strong wind warning — in effect.
- Wind: Wind north 10 knots becoming light early this morning then becoming southwest 10 late this morning. Wind increasing to southwest 15 this afternoon and to southwest 25 this evening. Wind diminishing to west 15 Wednesday morning.
- Waves: Waves 0.5 to 1 metre subsiding to 0.5 or less early this morning then building to 0.5 to 1 early this evening. Waves building to 2 near midnight then subsiding to 1 to 1.5 near noon Wednesday.
- Weather: Scattered showers tonight with a risk of thunderstorms. Scattered showers Wednesday evening with a risk of thunderstorms.
- Covers: Today Tonight and Wednesday.
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.
- Local Builder Donates $9,000 And 170 Pounds Of Food To Kawartha Lakes Food Source — Kawartha 411, Oct 4
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 | +22 cm (+8.7 in) | 🟢 |
| Lower Glen Ross | Lock 6 to Lock 8 Pool | -1 cm (-0.5 in) | 🔵 |
| Upper Glen Ross | Lock 8 to Lock 11 Pool | -1 cm (-0.4 in) | 🔵 |
| Crowe River | Crowe River Tributary | -7 cm (-2.7 in) | 🟠 |
| Indian River | Indian River to Rice Lake | +3 cm (+1.1 in) | 🔵 |
| Otonabee / Peterborough | Rice Lake to Lock 20 Pool | -7 cm (-2.8 in) | 🟠 |
| Sturgeon Lake | Sturgeon Lake / Fenelon Falls Pool | -11 cm (-4.4 in) | 🔴 |
| Burnt River | Burnt River to Balsam Lake | -14 cm (-5.4 in) | 🔴 |
| Gull River | Gull River to Balsam Lake | +4 cm (+1.6 in) | 🔵 |
| Head River | Head River to Lake Simcoe | -4 cm (-1.5 in) | 🔵 |
| Severn / Couchiching | Lake Couchiching Outflow | +1 cm (+0.5 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 2026-10-06 05:00:04 ET.
Sécurité — navigational warnings
1 warning(s) published in the last seven days:
- 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 2026-10-06 06:00 ET from live feeds.