June 2025

Over the weekend, a series of severe thunderstorms delivered heavy, localized rainfall across much of the basin. While this much-needed precipitation temporarily slowed the decline in river flows and lake inflows, ongoing, consistent rainfall is still necessary to return to normal flow conditions. With only scattered showers in the forecast, inflows are expected to either continue gradually declining or remain stable over the coming week. To help maintain the balance between Lake of the Woods and Winnipeg River levels, a small outflow reduction is scheduled for tomorrow.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.82 m (1059.1 ft), a 20^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level decreased by 1 cm (0.4 in) over the last week and is expected to remain stable over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow will be reduced to 275 m³/s on Friday, June 27^th.

This outflow reductions will cause levels along the Winnipeg River to decrease by 5 cm (2 in) below the Norman Dam, 3.5 cm (1.4 in) above Kimberley Rapids and 2 cm (0.8 in) at the Dalles. Levels at Minaki will not be affected by these flow changes.

The current level of Lac Seul is 355.77 m (1167.2 ft), a 20^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The lake level increased by 11.6 cm (4.6 in) over the last week and is expected to increase by 6 to 10 cm (2.4 to 4 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 100 m³/s with no changes scheduled.

Although parts of the basin received some rainfall over the last few days, much more rain is needed to return to normal flow conditions.  As inflow to Lake of the Woods continues to drop, outflow reductions are scheduled to maintain a balance between the lake level and the level of the Winnipeg River.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.83 m (1059.13 ft), a 30^th percentile level, in the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level decreased by 3 cm (1 in) over the last week and is expected to decline by 1 to 3 cm (0.5 to 1 in) over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow will be reduced to 350 m³/s on Thursday, June 19^th and to 300 m³/s on Sunday, June 22^nd.

These outflow reductions will cause levels along the Winnipeg River to decrease by 16.5 cm (6.5 in) below the Norman Dam, 12 cm (4.7 in) above Kimberley Rapids and 7.5 cm (3 in) at the Dalles. Levels at Minaki will not be affected by these flow changes.

The current level of Lac Seul is 355.66 m (1166.8 ft), a 20^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The lake level increased by 6.3 cm (2.5 in) over the last week and is expected to increase by 5 to 8.5 cm (2 to 3.3 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 100 m³/s with no changes scheduled.

On June 11, the LWCB held its spring Regulation Meeting in Kenora where it adopted a new Regulation Strategy. The strategy outlines regulation targets for various inflow conditions for the period of June to the end of October, and was developed considering basin conditions, hydrological and meteorological forecasts and the input from representatives of First Nations, Specific Interest Groups, and Resource Advisors concerned with basin management.

In late April 2025, above-normal precipitation helped to refill Lake of the Woods and meet spring fisheries targets at Lac Seul. However, this was the only major spring rainfall, as May saw extremely low precipitation, in the 5^th percentile (historically only one May out of every 20 on average). The dry conditions were apparent from large wildfires along the Winnipeg River. Inflow to the major lakes dropped steadily over May and, by early June, the Board had directed outflow cuts from from Lake of the Woods and Lac Seul, reflecting overall basin conditions.

Lake of the Woods and the Winnipeg River in Ontario

While the strategy lays out how the Board intends to operate under a range of conditions, the Secretariat is currently implementing the Low Inflow strategy recommendations. At the time of the Regulation Meeting, Lake of the Woods level had stabilized slightly above chart datum, 1059.0 ft (322.78 m). Upstream, the operators at Rainy Lake are making further outflow reductions due to low inflow to continue lake refill. Since Rainy Lake is the main source of flow into Lake of the Woods, Lake of the Woods inflow is low and falling.

Unless substantial rainfall occurs across the basin, the level of Lake of the Woods will continue to gradually fall as will the level of the Winnipeg River. Should weather conditions improve, the Secretariat aims to adjust outflow to balance the lake and river levels, with an ideal lake level target range of between 322.8 and 323.1 m (1059 to 1060 ft) for the summer and early fall.

Lac Seul and English River

Inflow to Lac Seul is also declining due to continued dry conditions.  The Board has managed outflow to allow for a steady rate of rise in lake level since mid-April.  The strategy for low inflow conditions is to reduce outflow to allow continued refill of the lake to a minimum level of 355.8 m (1167.3 m), while targeting preferred summer levels if conditions allow. 

Inflow to the major lakes continues to decline. While dry conditions will persist for the next few days, there is moderate precipitation forecast for the week of June 16^th which will help stabilize inflows.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.86 m (1059.25 ft), a 45^th percentile level, in the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level decreased by 1 cm (less than 0.5 in) over the last week and is expected to remain relatively stable over the next week. With recent outflow reductions from upstream Rainy Lake, additional outflow decreases from Lake of the Woods will be required to maintain the lake level. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow will be reduced to 400 m³/s on Friday, June 13^th and to 375 m³/s on Monday, June 16^th.

These outflow reductions will cause levels along the Winnipeg River to decrease by 12 cm (4.7 in) below the Norman Dam, 9 cm (3.5 in) above Kimberley Rapids and 6 cm (2.4 in) at the Dalles. Levels at Minaki will not be affected by these flow changes.

The current level of Lac Seul is 355.58 m (1166.6 ft), a 30^th percentile level, in the normal range for this time of year. The lake level increased by 8 cm (3.2 in) over the last week and is expected to increase by 7 to 10 cm (2.8 to 4 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 150 m³/s with no changes scheduled.

Inflow to the major lakes continues to decline, as recent rainfall was less than forecasted. With dry conditions expected to persist through the weekend, outflow reductions are necessary to maintain lake levels.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.87 m (1059.3 ft), a 55^th percentile level, in the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level decreased by 2.3 cm (0.9 in) over the last week and is expected to remain stable over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow will be reduced to 465 m³/s on Thursday, June 5^th and to 425 m³/s on Sunday, June 8^th.

This outflow reduction will cause levels along the Winnipeg River to decrease by 17.6 cm (6.9 in) below the Norman Dam, 13.2 cm (5.2 in) above Kimberley Rapids and 9 cm (3.5 in) at the Dalles. Levels at Minaki will not be affected by these flow changes.

The current level of Lac Seul is 355.50 m (1166.3 ft), a 40^th percentile level, in the normal range for this time of year. The lake level increased by 5.7 cm (2.2 in) over the last week and is expected to increase by 6 to 9 cm (2.4 to 3.5 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 150 m³/s with no changes scheduled.