Secretariat

Over the last week, many parts of the basin experienced a first taste of spring when warm daytime temperatures coupled with sunny days. This weekend, a system is forecast to bring rain to the basin, further melting the snowpack. Although there is still some uncertainty as to how much runoff the rain will generate, inflow to the major lakes is expected to increase over the next week. Depending on how quickly flows increase on the Rainy River, gradual outflow increases at Lake of the Woods may be required next week. Notice of these changes will be provided as soon as possible.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.42 m (1057.8 ft), a 25^th percentile level, in the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level declined by 1.5 cm (0.5 in) over the last week and is expected to increase by 2.5 to 6 cm (1 to 2.5 in) over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow is 250 m³/s, with no changes scheduled.

The current level of Lac Seul is 354.85 m (1164.2 ft), a 20^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The lake level declined by 7 cm (2.5 in) over the last week and is expected to decrease by 2.5 to 6 cm (1 to 2.5 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 300 m³/s, with no changes scheduled.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.44 m (1057.85 ft), a 20^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level declined by 2 cm (1 in) over the last week and is expected to decline by 1 cm (0.5 in) over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow is 250 m³/s, with no changes scheduled.

On March 1^st, the level of Lac Seul was 354.97 m (1164.6 ft) within the target range of the Regulation Strategy adopted last October. The current level of Lac Seul is 354.93 m (1164.4 ft), a 20^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The lake level declined by 6 cm (2.5 in) over the last week and is expected to decrease by 5 to 6 cm (2 to 2.5 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 300 m³/s, with no changes scheduled.

Over the last week, southern portions of the Winnipeg River basin received some rain and daytime temperatures were above freezing. This caused the snowpack to compact and become wetter. Conditions are however expected to change with an Alberta clipper forecast to cross the basin this evening and into Friday. Environment Canada has issued snowfall warnings, predicting rapid snow accumulation in the range of 15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 in). The return of colder temperatures is also forecast for this weekend.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.45 m (1057.9 ft), a 20^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level declined by 1.5 cm (1 in) over the last week and is expected to change little over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow remains 250 m³/s, with no changes scheduled.

The current level of Lac Seul is 354.94 m (1164.6 ft), a 20^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The lake level declined by 7.5 cm (3 in) over the last week and is expected to decrease by 5.5 cm to 7 cm (2 to 2.5 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 300 m³/s, with no changes scheduled.

The current level of Lac Seul is 355.02 m (1164.7 ft), a 20^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The lake level declined by 8 cm (3 in) over the last week and is expected to decrease by 7 to 9 cm (2.5 to 3.5 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow was reduced to 300 m³/s today, February 25^th. Outflow is expected to continue gradually declining as the lake level drops.

The extremely cold temperatures impacting the Winnipeg River basin are expected to let up in the next couple of days. Very little snow fell over the last week. A precipitation system coupled with warmer temperatures is forecast to bring snow and rain showers to the southern half of the basin over the weekend. Snowpack conditions remain close to or slightly below normal for this time of year.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.47 m (1058.0 ft), a 20^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level declined 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 is 250 m³/s, with no changes scheduled.

The current level of Lac Seul is 355.07 m (1164.9 ft), a 20^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The lake level declined by 9 cm (3.5 in) over the last week and is expected to decrease by 7 to 9 cm (2.5 to 3.5 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 Lake of the Woods is 322.48 m (1058 ft), a 20^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level changed little over the last week and is expected to decline less than 1 cm (0.5 in) over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow is 250 m³/s, with no changes scheduled.

The current level of Lac Seul is 355.16 m (1165.22 ft), a 20^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The lake level declined by 8 cm (3 in) over the last week and is expected to decrease by 6 to 8 cm (2 to 3 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow has been adjusted to 360 m³/s, it will gradually decline with the falling lake level. No outflow changes are scheduled.

Note: The LWCB updated its reference percentile set on February 4^th, 2025. This does not impact observed lake levels, but may impact their percentile rank.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.49 m (1058.01 ft), a 15^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level changed little over the last week and is expected to remain stable over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow is 250 m³/s, with no changes scheduled.

The current level of Lac Seul is 355.24 m (1165.47 ft), a 20^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The lake level declined by 8 cm (3 in) over the last week and is expected to decrease by 8 to 9 cm (3 to 3.5 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow has been adjusted to 360 m³/s as it gradually declines with the falling lake level. No outflow changes are scheduled.

Note: The LWCB updated its reference percentile set on February 4^th, 2025. This does not impact observed lake levels, but may impact their percentile rank.

The Lake of the Woods Control Board updates its percentile set once every 5 years. As of today, all data products will reference new percentiles computed for the period of 1991 to 2020. Maximum and minimum records have also been updated to extend to 2023 and will now be updated annually.

Percentile sets for all stations, and more information on percentiles, are available on our Percentile Data Page.

The basin has been receiving moderate amounts of snowfall and experiencing seasonal temperatures. With levels on both lakes declining steadily and on track to meet spring targets, no outflow changes are planned next week.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.49 m (1058.03 ft), a 20^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level declined by 1.2 cm (0.5 in) over the last week and is expected to remain stable over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow was reduced to 250 m³/s today, with no further changes scheduled.

The current level of Lac Seul is 355.32 m (1165.75 ft), a 25^th percentile level, within the normal range for this time of year. The lake level declined by 8 cm (3 in) over the last week and is expected to decrease by 7 to 8 cm (2.5 to 3 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 380 m³/s, with no changes scheduled.

Note: The LWCB updated its reference percentile set on February 4^th, 2025. This does not impact observed lake levels, but may impact their percentile rank.

Conditions in the Winnipeg River basin remain drier than normal, although some snowfall is expected over the next week. Maps of modelled snow water equivalent (SWE), the amount of water in the snow, indicate that there are approximately 40 to 60 mm (1.5 to 2.5 in) of SWE in the snowpack . This is close to or slightly below normal, with measurements of SWE taken by Ontario Power Generation on January 15^th coming in at 66% to 112% of normal.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.50 m (1058.07 ft), a 20^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The average lake level declined by 3 cm (1 in) over the last week and with the scheduled outflow increases, is expected to remain stable over the next week.

With inflow to Lake of the Woods very low for this time of year, outflow reductions are scheduled next week to help slow the rate of level decline on the lake. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow will be reduced to 275 m³/s, on Monday, January 27^th and to 250 m³/s on Thursday, January 30^th. These outflow reductions will cause levels on the Winnipeg River to decline by:

• 10 cm (4 in) below the Norman Dam
• 4 cm (1.5 in) at the Dalles
• no change at Minaki

The current level of Lac Seul is 355.41 m (1166.02 ft), a 20^th percentile level, below the normal range for this time of year. The lake level declined by 8 cm (3 in) over the last week and is expected to decrease by 6.5 cm to 8 cm (2.5 to 3 in) over the next week. Lac Seul outflow is 380 m³/s, with no changes scheduled.