Conditions across the Winnipeg River basin were dry over the past week, and this pattern is expected to continue into next week.

Maps of modelled Snow Water Equivalent (SWE), the amount of water in the snow, indicate there are approximately 20 to 60 mm (0.8 to 2.4 in) of SWE in the snowpack around Lake of the Woods, Rainy River and Rainy and Namakan Lakes, which is below normal for this time of year.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.51 m (1058.08 ft), a 15^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level declined by 2.3 cm (0.9 in) over the last week and with a scheduled outflow decrease, is expected to decrease by 0.5 to 1.5 cm (0.2 to 0.6 in) over the next week.

With low inflow to Lake of the Woods for this time of year, a small outflow reduction is scheduled for tomorrow to help slow the rate of level decline on the lake. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow will be reduced to 250 m³/s, on Friday, January 30^th. This outflow reduction will cause levels on the Winnipeg River to decline by:

• 5 cm (2 in) below the Norman Dam
• 2 cm (0.8 in) at the Dalles
• no change at Minaki

The current level of Lac Seul is 355.25 m (1165.5 ft), a 15^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The lake level declined by 10 cm (4 in) over the last week and is expected to decrease by 7 cm to 9 cm (2.7 to 3.5 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow will be reduced to 325 m³/s, on Friday, January 30^th to slow the rate of level decline on the lake.

The current level of the Lake of the Woods is 322.53 m (1058.16 ft) a 20^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level decreased 1.9 cm (0.8 in) and is expected to decrease from 1.8 to 2.5 cm (0.7 to 1 in) over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow is 275 m³/s with no changes scheduled at this time.

The current level of Lac Seul is 355.35 m (1165.8 ft), a 15^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The lake level decreased 9.2 cm (3.6 in) over the last week and is expected to decrease from 8.5 to 10 cm (3.3 to 4 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 360 m³/s, and continues to gradually decline with the falling lake level. No outflow changes are scheduled.

The current level of the Lake of the Woods is 322.55 m (1058.2 ft) a 20^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level decreased 1.9 cm (0.8 in) and is expected to decrease from 0.5 to 1.5 cm (0.2 to 0.6 in) over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow is 275 m³/s with no changes scheduled at this time.

The current level of Lac Seul is 355.44 m (1166.1 ft), a 15^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The lake level decreased 10.1 cm (4 in) over the last week and is expected to decrease from 8.5 to 10 cm (3.3 to 4 in) over the next week. Outflow from Lac Seul has been slowly decreasing as the lake level declines, and this trend is expected to continue in the coming weeks. Current river flows and lake drawdown remain within the expected range. Lac Seul authorized outflow has been adjusted to 360 m³/s. No outflow changes are scheduled.

Conditions across the Winnipeg River basin remained stable over the past two weeks. A few systems moved through the region, resulting in additional snow accumulation, particularly on the northern portion of the basin. Forecasts for the upcoming week indicate mainly dry conditions, with scattered precipitation in some areas.

The current level of the Lake of the Woods is 322.57 m (1058.3 ft) a 20^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level decreased 2.4 cm (1 in) and is expected to decrease from 1.5 to 2.5 cm (0.6 to 1 in) over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow is 275 m³/s with no changes scheduled at this time.

The current level of Lac Seul is 355.54 m (1166.5 ft), a 15^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The lake level decreased 9.8 cm (3.8 in) over the last week and is expected to decrease from 8.5 to 10 cm (3.3 to 4 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 370 m³/s with no changes scheduled at this time.

Over the past week, the southern part of the basin received 5 to 15 cm of snow, while the north received 20 to 25 cm. A system is moving through the basin today bringing additional snow. Temperatures warmed up slightly in the south over the past couple of days but are expected to return to cold conditions between today and tomorrow.

The current level of the Lake of the Woods is 322.63 m (1058.5 ft) a 20^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level decreased 2.2 cm (0.9 in) and is expected to decrease from 1 to 2 cm (0.4 to 0.8 in) over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow is 275 m³/s with no changes scheduled at this time.

The current level of Lac Seul is 355.81 m (1167.4 ft), a 20^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The lake level decreased 9.7 cm (3.8 in) over the last week and is expected to decrease from 7.5 to 9.5 cm (3 to 4 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 370 m³/s with no changes scheduled at this time.

The Lake of the Woods Control Board and Secretariat wish everyone the best this Holiday Season and a Happy New Year!

Between Christmas and New Years Day the LWCB website will not be updated. The Noticeboard Update will resume on January 8^th.

Conditions across the basin remain dry. The precipitation forecast indicates the possibility of an event on December 18, with up to 15 mm expected over most of the basin. The temperature forecast shows a warm-up period from December 16 to 18; therefore, precipitation during this period could fall as rain. If this is the case, inflows to the lakes would temporarily increase, leading to a slightly slower rate of decline on Lake of the Woods and Lac Seul over the upcoming week.  

The current level of the Lake of the Woods is 322.65 m (1058.5 ft) a 20^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level decreased 2.1 cm (0.8 in) and is expected to decrease from 1 to 2 cm (0.4 to 0.8 in) over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow is 275 m³/s with no changes scheduled at this time.

The current level of Lac Seul is 355.91 m (1167.7 ft), a 20^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The lake level decreased 9.9 cm (3.9 in) over the last week and is expected to decrease from 7.5 to 9.5 cm (3 to 4 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 370 m³/s with no changes scheduled at this time.

The current level of the Lake of the Woods is 322.67 m (1058.6 ft) a 25^th percentile level, within the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level decreased 2.5 cm (1 in) and is expected to decrease from 2 to 3 cm (0.8 to 1.2 in) over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow is 275 m³/s with no changes scheduled at this time.

The current level of Lac Seul is 356.01 m (1168.0 ft), a 25^th percentile level, within the normal range for this time of year. The lake level decreased 8.9 cm (3.5 in) over the last week and is expected to decrease from 8.5 to 9.5 cm (3 to 4 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 370 m³/s with no changes scheduled at this time.

Conditions in the Winnipeg River basin remain dry, and little precipitation is expected over the next week. With the drought conditions impacting surrounding basins in Manitoba, water available for hydropower production this winter is limited. Manitoba Hydro’s Fall water and freeze up outlook indicates that system inflows are among the lowest recorded for this time of year in the past 40 years.

As per the adopted Regulation Strategy, outflow from Lac Seul will be increased to the normal range to provide core winter flows on the Winnipeg River in Manitoba. However, given the underlying dry conditions in the English River basin, these outflows are not expected to be maintained through to the spring. Depending on snowpack development, mid-winter outflow adjustments may be required to target the end-of-winter levels recommended in the regulation strategy.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.70 m (1058.7 ft) a 30^th percentile level, within the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level decreased by 3.8 cm (1.5 in) over the past week and is expected to decrease 2 to 3 cm (0.8 to 1.2 in) over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow is 275 m³/s with no changes scheduled at this time.

The current level of Lac Seul is 356.10 m (1168.3 ft), a 35^th percentile level, within the normal range for this time of year. The lake level decreased by 6.3 cm (2.5 in) over the last week and is expected to decrease 9 to 10.5 cm (3.5 to 4 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow will increase to 370 m³/s on Monday December 1^st.

In preparation for freeze-up, outflows from Lake of the Woods and Lac Seul will be increased next week. These will likely be the final major adjustments before winter, with only minor changes expected in the coming months based on weather conditions.

The Winnipeg River basin remains dry, and flows on the English and Winnipeg Rivers are expected to stay near the lower end of the normal range this winter. Over the coming months, the LWCB will monitor snowpack development and will adjust end-of-winter level targets if needed.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.74 m (1058.8 ft) a 35^th percentile level, within the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level decreased by 1 cm (0.5 in) over the past week and is expected to decrease by 1 to 3 cm (0.5 to 2 in) over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow will increase to 275 m³/s on Monday, November 24^th.

Notice: On Monday, November 24^th, the Norman Generating Station will be temporarily shut down for a critical repair. This outage is expected to be short and flow through the Kenora Powerhouse will be maximized during the outage to minimize water level fluctuations downstream on the Winnipeg River.

With the outage and outflow increase occurring on the same day, temporary water level fluctuations directly below the dams are expected. In addition, the Lake of the Woods outflow increase will cause levels along the Winnipeg River to rise by 5 cm (2 in) below the Norman Dam, by 2.5 cm (1 in) above Kimberley Rapids and by 2 cm (0.8 in) at the Dalles. This outflow increase will have no impact on levels at Minaki.

The current level of Lac Seul is 356.17 m (1168.5 ft), a 40th percentile level, within the normal range for this time of year. The lake level decreased by 2 cm (0.8 in) over the last week and is expected to decrease by 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow will increase to 300 m³/s on Monday November 24^th and to 325 m³/s on Thursday, November 27^th.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.74 m (1058.86 ft) a 30^th percentile level, within the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level decreased by 1.4 cm (0.6 in) over the past week and is expected to remain stable or decrease by 2 cm (0.8 in) over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow is 200 m³/s. With average daily temperatures starting to decrease, Lake of the Woods outflow will increase to 250 m³/s on Monday November 17^th to assist in providing satisfactory flow on the Winnipeg River before freeze-up.

This outflow change will cause levels along the Winnipeg River to increase by 9 cm (3.5 in) below the Norman Dam, by 6.3 cm (2.5 in) above Kimberley Rapids and by 3 cm (1.2 in) at the Dalles. This outflow increase will have no impact on levels at Minaki.

The current level of Lac Seul is 356.19 m (1168.58 ft), a 35th percentile level, within the normal range for this time of year. The lake level decreased by 5.1 cm (2 in) over the last week and is expected to decrease 4 to 6 cm (1.5 to 2.5 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 200 m³/s with a planned outflow increase to 250 m³/s on Wednesday November 19^th.