Thu July 9 Alley Storm
Jul 9 alley-wide storm -- 0.9" in 4hrs, Eighteen Mile Creek blew out, Johnson Creek fishable Friday.
Meteorological Analysis
A major storm system rolled through the Steelhead Alley region starting on Thursday, July 9, 2026 and lasting until Thursday, July 9, 2026. The storm was active for approximately 4 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 Sandy Creek (Hamlin) (peaking at 54 CFS), Irondequoit Creek (peaking at 75 CFS), Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara) (peaking at 104 CFS), Brandy Run near Girard (peaking at 1 CFS), Huron River (peaking at 131 CFS), Salmon River (peaking at 272 CFS), Black River (Watertown) (peaking at 1,310 CFS), Sandy Creek (Adams) (peaking at 58 CFS), Vermilion River @ Vermilion (peaking at 151 CFS), Black River (peaking at 111 CFS), Buffalo Creek (peaking at 43 CFS), Cazenovia Creek (peaking at 72 CFS), Ashtabula River (peaking at 12 CFS), Rocky River near Berea (peaking at 133 CFS), Conneaut Creek (peaking at 15 CFS), Chagrin River @ Willoughby (peaking at 9 CFS), Grand River near Painesville (peaking at 256 CFS), Cuyahoga River @ Independence (peaking at 527 CFS), Euclid Creek (peaking at 13 CFS), Elk Creek (peaking at 9 CFS), Walnut Creek (peaking at 9 CFS), Twenty Mile Creek (peaking at 15 CFS), Crooked Creek (peaking at 4 CFS), Cattaraugus Creek (peaking at 182 CFS), Chautauqua Creek (peaking at 21 CFS), Canadaway Creek (peaking at 8 CFS), Silver Creek (peaking at 3 CFS), Genesee River (peaking at 2,570 CFS), Oak Orchard Creek (peaking at 966 CFS), Eighteen Mile Creek (peaking at 13 CFS), Johnson Creek (peaking at 82 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
Sandy Creek (Hamlin)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 54 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 21:30
Irondequoit Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 75 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 18:00
Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 104 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 18:15
Brandy Run near Girard
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 18:00
Huron River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 131 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 18:00
Salmon River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 272 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 22:00
Black River (Watertown)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1,310 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 20:30
Sandy Creek (Adams)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 58 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 18:00
Vermilion River @ Vermilion
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 151 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 18:00
Black River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 111 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 18:00
Buffalo Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 43 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 22:00
Cazenovia Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 72 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 18:00
Ashtabula River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 12 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 18:15
Rocky River near Berea
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 133 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 18:00
Conneaut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 15 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 18:00
Chagrin River @ Willoughby
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 9 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 18:00
Grand River near Painesville
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 256 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 21:45
Cuyahoga River @ Independence
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 527 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 18:15
Euclid Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 13 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 18:00
Elk Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 9 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 20:45
Walnut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 9 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 18:15
Twenty Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 15 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 20:45
Crooked Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 4 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 18:45
Cattaraugus Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 182 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 18:00
Chautauqua Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 21 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 20:15
Canadaway Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 8 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 18:00
Silver Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 3 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 18:00
Genesee River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 2,570 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 21:45
- Recovers By
- Jul 9, 22:04
Oak Orchard Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 522 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 966 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 23:00
- Baseline Return
- Jul 10, 00:00
Eighteen Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 13 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 9, 18:00
Johnson Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 23 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 82 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 10, 01:00
- Baseline Return
- Jul 10, 03:00
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:
