Sun July 5-6 Alley Storm
Jul 5-6 alley-wide storm -- 0.9" in 11hrs, Johnson Creek blew out, Silver Creek fishable Saturday.
Meteorological Analysis
A major storm system rolled through the Steelhead Alley region starting on Sunday, July 5, 2026 and lasting until Monday, July 6, 2026. The storm was active for approximately 11 hours, dumping a maximum of 0.87" of rain across affected zones. Geographically, the weather system impacted the New York (Lake Erie), New York (Lake Ontario), Ohio, Pennsylvania regions, causing rapid water-level rises on multiple tributaries.
Gauges recorded significant river responses, particularly along Eighteen Mile Creek (peaking at 10 CFS), Silver Creek (peaking at 3 CFS), Cattaraugus Creek (peaking at 188 CFS), Ashtabula River (peaking at 13 CFS), Vermilion River @ Vermilion (peaking at 355 CFS), Black River (peaking at 1,250 CFS), Conneaut Creek (peaking at 18 CFS), Brandy Run near Girard (peaking at 2 CFS), Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara) (peaking at 106 CFS), Euclid Creek (peaking at 229 CFS), Chautauqua Creek (peaking at 15 CFS), Black River (Watertown) (peaking at 1,910 CFS), Sandy Creek (Adams) (peaking at 112 CFS), Canadaway Creek (peaking at 8 CFS), Rocky River near Berea (peaking at 1,770 CFS), Walnut Creek (peaking at 9 CFS), Grand River near Painesville (peaking at 385 CFS), Cuyahoga River @ Independence (peaking at 2,400 CFS), Salmon River (peaking at 763 CFS), Sandy Creek (Hamlin) (peaking at 74 CFS), Irondequoit Creek (peaking at 109 CFS), Chagrin River @ Willoughby (peaking at 3,600 CFS), Buffalo Creek (peaking at 43 CFS), Cazenovia Creek (peaking at 34 CFS), Genesee River (peaking at 1,450 CFS), Twenty Mile Creek (peaking at 15 CFS), Crooked Creek (peaking at 4 CFS), Elk Creek (peaking at 9 CFS), Huron River (peaking at 4,290 CFS), Oak Orchard Creek (peaking at 729 CFS), Johnson Creek (peaking at 61 CFS). Angling conditions deteriorated quickly during the peak flow periods, leading to temporary washouts. Gaging stations monitored the recovery times as flows began returning to their baselines, mapping out the best windows for fishermen to get back on the water.
From a weather prediction standpoint, the NWS forecasts for this event received an aggregate score card grade of 'A'. Gaging observations were matched against NWS precipitation models to assess the forecasting margins, highlighting the variance in local rainfall amounts across the lake shores.
Tributary Response & Recovery
Eighteen Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 10 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 01:00
Silver Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 3 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 01:00
Cattaraugus Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 188 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 5, 20:30
Ashtabula River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 13 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 00:45
Vermilion River @ Vermilion
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 355 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 5, 22:30
Black River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 20 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,250 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 5, 22:00
Conneaut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 18 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 5, 22:15
Brandy Run near Girard
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 2 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 5, 18:45
Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 106 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 00:30
- Recovers By
- Jul 6, 01:03
Euclid Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 229 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 5, 19:48
- Recovers By
- Jul 5, 15:18
Chautauqua Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 15 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 5, 23:45
Black River (Watertown)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1,910 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 5, 15:00
Sandy Creek (Adams)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 112 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 5, 14:00
Canadaway Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 8 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 5, 18:15
Rocky River near Berea
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1,770 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 5, 20:15
Walnut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 9 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 5, 19:00
Grand River near Painesville
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 56 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 385 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 7, 01:00
Cuyahoga River @ Independence
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 545 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 2,400 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 5, 21:00
- Recovers By
- Jul 5, 14:48
Salmon River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 763 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 5, 14:00
Sandy Creek (Hamlin)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 74 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 5, 14:00
Irondequoit Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 109 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 5, 14:00
Chagrin River @ Willoughby
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 9 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 3,600 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 21:00
Buffalo Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 43 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 01:00
Cazenovia Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 34 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 5, 14:00
Genesee River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1,450 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 5, 19:00
Twenty Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 15 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 5, 20:45
Crooked Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 4 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 5, 21:15
Elk Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 9 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 5, 23:00
Huron River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 130 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 4,290 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 05:00
Oak Orchard Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 729 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 5, 18:30
Johnson Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 61 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 5, 16:45
Fishing Guide & Tactics
Looking for advice on how to target steelhead on these rivers when they are recovering from a storm? Check out our master guides:
