Since the beginning of January, temperatures across the Winnipeg River basin have plunged and the region is experiencing its coldest weather since the start of winter. December was much warmer than average, with much less precipitation than average. With very little snowpack accumulated, many areas of the basin are classified as being abnormally dry or in a moderate to severe drought on the Canadian and U.S. Drought Monitors. In northern Minnesota, where a large part of the inflow to Lake of the Woods is generated, snow depth is less than 2 inches and ranks lowest compared to average snow depth at this time of year.

Although there is a lack of snow, the southern portion of the Winnipeg River basin, around Namakan and Rainy Lakes, was impacted by a series of weather systems in late December. These systems brought rain, resulting in a rise in flows in the rivers and inflows to the lakes. A series of outflow increases at both Namakan and Rainy Lakes was required to maintain the lake levels within their Rule Curves. Inflows to Lake of the Woods also increased in the second half of December. The lake level is no longer declining and sits at a 30^th percentile level for this time of year.

In order to ensure continuous drawdown of the lake and to target spring levels as set out in the Regulation Strategy, a small outflow increase from Lake of the Woods is required.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.59 m (1058.4 ft), a 30^th percentile level for this time of year. The average lake level declined by less than 1 cm (0.5 in) over the past week and is expected to decline by 1 to 2 cm (0.5 in) over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow will increase to 325 m³/s on Monday, January 15.

This flow increase will cause levels on the Winnipeg River to rise by approximately 5 cm (2 in) downstream of the Norman Dam, 2 cm (1 in) at the Dalles and will cause very little level change at Minaki. Please be cautious when on or near the ice as flow and level changes can affect ice conditions.

The current level of Lac Seul is 355.35 m (1166.8 ft), a 15^th percentile level for this time of year. The lake level declined by 9 cm (3 in) over the past week and is expected to decline by 9 to 11 cm (3 to 4 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 325 m³/s with no changes scheduled.

Special Notice for Winnipeg River Directly Downstream of Dams in Kenora:

On January 10, H2O Power performed a flow switch at the Norman Dam and Kenora Powerhouse. While maintaining the Lake of the Woods authorized outflow of 300 m³/s (which is computed as the total outflow from these two dams), the outflow from the Norman Dam was increased by approximately 44 m³/s and the outflow from the Kenora Powerhouse was decreased by 44 m³/s. This was done to provide maintenance on the generators at the Kenora Powerhouse. These changes resulted in immediate water level changes directly downstream of the dams. This flow switch was not authorized by the Lake of the Woods Control Board (LWCB). It is the LWCB’s preference to limit winter flow changes and to provide notice to residents of any notable water level changes and any potential impacts to ice conditions.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.60 m (1058.4 ft), a 30^th percentile level for this time of year. The average lake level declined by less than 1 cm (0.5 in) over the past week and is expected to remain stable over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow is 300 m³/s with no changes scheduled.

The current level of Lac Seul is 355.44 m (1166.1 ft), a 15^th percentile level for this time of year. The lake level declined by 9 cm (3 in) over the past week and is expected to decline by 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 325 m³/s with no changes scheduled.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.62 m (1058.4 ft), a 25^th percentile level for this time of year. The average lake level declined by 2.5 cm (1 in) over the past week and is expected to decline by 2 to 3 cm (1 in) over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow is 300 m³/s with no changes scheduled at this time.

The current level of Lac Seul is 355.62 m (1166.7 ft), a 15^th percentile level for this time of year. The lake level declined by 9 cm (3 in) over the past week and is expected to decline by 9 to 10 cm (3.5 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 325 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. Daily basin data updates will resume on January 3^rd and the next Noticeboard Update will be on January 4^th.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.64 m (1058.5 ft), a 30^th percentile level for this time of year. The average lake level declined by 1.5 cm (0.5 in) over the past week and is expected to decline by 1.5 to 2.5 cm (0.5 to 1 in) over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow is 300 m³/s with no changes scheduled at this time.

The current level of Lac Seul is 355.71 m (1167.0 ft), a 20^th percentile level for this time of year. The lake level declined by 9 cm (3 in) over the past week and is expected to decrease by 9 to 10 cm (3.5 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 325 m³/s with no changes scheduled at this time.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.66 m (1058.6 ft), a 30^th percentile level for this time of year. The average lake level declined by 1.5 cm (0.5 in) over the past week and is expected to decline by up to 1.5 cm (0.5 in) over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow is increasing to 300 m³/s today, December 7.

This flow increase will cause levels on the Winnipeg River to rise by approximately 5 cm (2 in) downstream of the Norman Dam, 2 cm (1 in) at the Dalles and will cause very little level change at Minaki.

The current level of Lac Seul is 355.81 m (1167.3 ft), a 20^th percentile level for this time of year. The lake level declined by 9 cm (3 in) over the past week and is expected to decrease by 7 cm (2.5 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 325 m³/s with no changes scheduled at this time.

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With the official start of winter a couple weeks away, the Lake of the Woods Secretariat has been monitoring the formation of ice on the major lakes and rivers in the Winnipeg River basin. We use observations from webcams or field visits to monitor ice formation. There is also a special tool on NASA’s Earth Observing Satellites, Terra and Aqua, that allows us to monitor ice over the entire Winnipeg River basin. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is a sensor on board both of these satellites that creates images of the earth’s surface. When skies are clear and there are no clouds blocking the view, the images of the Winnipeg River basin are extraordinary!

The image below on the left is from December 3^d when there was a good view of Lake of the Woods. The image on the right is the same but shown in “false colour”, meaning different bands of the satellite signal were used to colour the image. In this image, ice and snow show up as a bright aqua blue colour, allowing us to see the ice forming over Lake of the Woods and all the other small lakes in the Winnipeg River basin.

Knowing when lakes and rivers have frozen over is useful for a variety of reasons. For example, to avoid damage to docks and ensure safe (and stable) ice conditions on the Winnipeg River, outflow increases from Lake of the Woods are kept at a minimum once a stable ice cover is in place. Ice also has an impact on water level and flow measurements. On lakes that are frozen over, the water surface no longer shifts due to wind setup and waves and becomes very smooth. This has happened at the gauges around Lake of the Woods in the last week and is evident in the Lake of the Woods level graph shown below. It can also be more difficult to estimate the flow of water under ice, and therefore the flow data for certain rivers may be less accurate and gets flagged in our data graphs by a pink line.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.66 m (1058.6 ft), a 30^th percentile level for this time of year. The average lake level declined by 1 cm (0.5 in) over the past week. With the lake level slightly higher than expected for early December, Lake of the Woods outflow can be increased while still targeting end-of-winter levels set in the Regulation Strategy. Temperatures are also expected to climb above freezing this week and ice has just started forming on the Winnipeg River.

Lake of the Woods authorized outflow will increase to 300 m³/s on Thursday, December 7. This flow increase will cause levels on the Winnipeg River to rise by approximately 5 cm (2 in) downstream of the Norman Dam, 2 cm (1 in) at the Dalles and will cause very little level change at Minaki.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.67 m (1058.6 ft), a 30^th percentile level for this time of year. The average lake level declined by 3 cm (1 in) over the past week and is expected to decline by 2 to 3 cm (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 355.89 m (1167.6 ft), a 20^th percentile level for this time of year. The lake level declined by 9 cm (3 in) over the past week and is expected to decrease by 11 cm (4 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 325 m³/s with no changes scheduled at this time.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.69 m (1058.7 ft), a 30^th percentile level for this time of year. The average lake level remained stable over the past week and is expected to decline by 2 to 3 cm (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 355.98 m (1167.9 ft), a 20^th percentile level for this time of year. The lake level declined by 7 cm (2 in) over the past week and is expected to decrease by 8 to 9 cm (2.5 to 3.5 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 325 m³/s with no changes scheduled at this time.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.69 m (1058.7 ft), a 30^th percentile level for this time of year. The average lake level remained stable over the past week and is expected to change little 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 356.05 m (1168.1 ft), a 20^th percentile level for this time of year. The lake level declined by 6 cm (2 in) over the past 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 250 m³/s and is scheduled to increase to 325 m³/s on Tuesday, November 21.

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.69 m (1058.7 ft), a 25^th percentile level for this time of year. The average lake level increased by 1 cm (0.5 in) over the past week and is expected to decline by 1 to 2 cm (1 in) over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow was increased to 250 m³/s today and is scheduled to increase to 275 m³/s on Tuesday, November 14.

Over the next week, these flow increases will cause levels on the Winnipeg River to rise by approximately 14 cm (5.5 in) downstream of the Norman Dam, 5 cm (2 in) at the Dalles and will cause very little level change at Minaki.

By the end of next week, outflow from Lake of the Woods will be at or near the preferred flow for the winter and only minor outflow changes may be necessary depending on conditions. An authorized outflow of 275 m³/s should also provide an adequate level on the Winnipeg River downstream of Kenora to avoid freezing of domestic water line intakes.

The current level of Lac Seul is 356.11 m (1168.3 ft), a 25^th percentile level for this time of year. The lake level changed little over the past week and is expected to decrease by approximately 5 cm (2 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 200 m³/s and is scheduled to increase to 250 m³/s on Tuesday, November 14. Another outflow increase is tentatively scheduled for the week of November 20.

The Basin Data page will not be updated on Monday, November 13 due to the federal holiday for observance of Remembrance Day in Canada.