Mon July 6 Alley Storm
Jul 6 alley-wide storm -- 0.8" in 6hrs, Johnson Creek blew out, Huron River fishable Monday.
Meteorological Analysis
A major storm system rolled through the Steelhead Alley region starting on Monday, July 6, 2026 and lasting until Monday, July 6, 2026. The storm was active for approximately 6 hours, dumping a maximum of 0.75" 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 15 CFS), Silver Creek (peaking at 5 CFS), Sandy Creek (Adams) (peaking at 87 CFS), Canadaway Creek (peaking at 13 CFS), Salmon River (peaking at 298 CFS), Brandy Run near Girard (peaking at 3 CFS), Elk Creek (peaking at 9 CFS), Crooked Creek (peaking at 4 CFS), Walnut Creek (peaking at 12 CFS), Buffalo Creek (peaking at 43 CFS), Cazenovia Creek (peaking at 33 CFS), Irondequoit Creek (peaking at 92 CFS), Cattaraugus Creek (peaking at 195 CFS), Twenty Mile Creek (peaking at 19 CFS), Black River (Watertown) (peaking at 1,700 CFS), Rocky River near Berea (peaking at 392 CFS), Euclid Creek (peaking at 1,650 CFS), Cuyahoga River @ Independence (peaking at 1,330 CFS), Grand River near Painesville (peaking at 75 CFS), Black River (peaking at 595 CFS), Sandy Creek (Hamlin) (peaking at 57 CFS), Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara) (peaking at 104 CFS), Genesee River (peaking at 1,380 CFS), Chagrin River @ Willoughby (peaking at 3,600 CFS), Huron River (peaking at 2,210 CFS), Ashtabula River (peaking at 13 CFS), Vermilion River @ Vermilion (peaking at 2,040 CFS), Conneaut Creek (peaking at 17 CFS), Oak Orchard Creek (peaking at 758 CFS), Chautauqua Creek (peaking at 16 CFS), Johnson Creek (peaking at 54 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
- 15 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 21:45
Silver Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 5 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 21:30
Sandy Creek (Adams)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 87 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 16:00
Canadaway Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 13 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 18:45
Salmon River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 298 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 16:00
Brandy Run near Girard
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 3 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 20:15
Elk Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 9 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 16:15
Crooked Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 4 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 16:00
Walnut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 12 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 20:00
Buffalo Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 43 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 16:00
Cazenovia Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 33 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 16:00
Irondequoit Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 92 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 20:45
Cattaraugus Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 195 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 18:15
Twenty Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 19 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 21:45
Black River (Watertown)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1,700 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 16:00
Rocky River near Berea
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 392 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 16:00
Euclid Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1,650 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 19:53
- Recovers By
- Jul 6, 20:33
Cuyahoga River @ Independence
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1,330 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 16:00
- Recovers By
- Jul 6, 19:04
Grand River near Painesville
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 75 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 16:00
- Recovers By
- Jul 6, 18:33
Black River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 595 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 21:30
Sandy Creek (Hamlin)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 57 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 16:00
Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 104 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 16:00
Genesee River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 793 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,380 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 7, 23:00
- Baseline Return
- Jul 8, 00:00
Chagrin River @ Willoughby
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 10 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 3,600 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 19:00
- Baseline Return
- Jul 7, 06:00
Huron River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 2,471 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 2,210 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 17:00
- Recovers By
- Jul 6, 18:05
- Baseline Return
- Jul 6, 18:00
Ashtabula River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 13 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 16:15
Vermilion River @ Vermilion
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 2,040 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 16:00
Conneaut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 17 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 16:00
Oak Orchard Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 758 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 19:00
Chautauqua Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 16 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 19:15
Johnson Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 54 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 6, 19:00
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:
