Sat July 18-19 Alley Storm
Jul 18-19 severe storm -- 1.5" of rain across Steelhead Alley. Lake Erie tribs out through Sunday.
Meteorological Analysis
A severe storm system rolled through the Steelhead Alley region starting on Saturday, July 18, 2026 and lasting until Sunday, July 19, 2026. The storm was active for approximately 36 hours, dumping a maximum of 1.47" 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 Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara) (peaking at 644 CFS), Rocky River near Berea (peaking at 332 CFS), Cuyahoga River @ Independence (peaking at 691 CFS), Chagrin River @ Willoughby (peaking at 27 CFS), Cattaraugus Creek (peaking at 179 CFS), Chautauqua Creek (peaking at 29 CFS), Eighteen Mile Creek (peaking at 8 CFS), Euclid Creek (peaking at 10 CFS), Canadaway Creek (peaking at 7 CFS), Silver Creek (peaking at 4 CFS), Buffalo Creek (peaking at 28 CFS), Cazenovia Creek (peaking at 32 CFS), Sandy Creek (Hamlin) (peaking at 244 CFS), Irondequoit Creek (peaking at 778 CFS), Ashtabula River (peaking at 13 CFS), Conneaut Creek (peaking at 16 CFS), Brandy Run near Girard (peaking at 28 CFS), Elk Creek (peaking at 81 CFS), Walnut Creek (peaking at 88 CFS), Crooked Creek (peaking at 35 CFS), Vermilion River @ Vermilion (peaking at 56 CFS), Grand River near Painesville (peaking at 256 CFS), Twenty Mile Creek (peaking at 139 CFS), Black River (peaking at 118 CFS), Sandy Creek (Adams) (peaking at 55 CFS), Huron River (peaking at 46 CFS), Black River (Watertown) (peaking at 1,130 CFS), Salmon River (peaking at 801 CFS), Johnson Creek (peaking at 523 CFS), Oak Orchard Creek (peaking at 1,600 CFS), Genesee River (peaking at 4,820 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
Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 135 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 644 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 19, 08:00
Rocky River near Berea
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 332 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 19, 05:30
Cuyahoga River @ Independence
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 691 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 19, 20:45
Chagrin River @ Willoughby
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 27 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 18, 17:15
Cattaraugus Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 165 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 179 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 19, 02:00
- Recovers By
- Jul 20, 05:49
- Baseline Return
- Jul 19, 03:00
Chautauqua Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 10 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 29 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 18, 21:00
- Recovers By
- Jul 20, 05:49
- Baseline Return
- Jul 19, 21:00
Eighteen Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 8 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 18, 20:45
Euclid Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 10 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 18, 09:08
Canadaway Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 6 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 7 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 19, 03:00
- Baseline Return
- Jul 19, 04:00
Silver Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 2 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 4 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 18, 12:00
- Baseline Return
- Jul 18, 22:00
Buffalo Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 22 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 28 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 19, 04:00
- Baseline Return
- Jul 19, 05:00
Cazenovia Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 32 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 18, 12:45
Sandy Creek (Hamlin)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 56 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 244 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 19, 18:00
Irondequoit Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 65 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 778 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 18, 20:00
Ashtabula River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 13 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 19, 08:45
Conneaut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 16 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 19, 07:00
Brandy Run near Girard
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 28 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 19, 00:45
Elk Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 81 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 19, 05:45
Walnut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 88 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 19, 04:00
Crooked Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 35 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 19, 05:45
Vermilion River @ Vermilion
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 26 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 56 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 19, 08:00
- Recovers By
- Jul 20, 05:49
- Baseline Return
- Jul 19, 21:00
Grand River near Painesville
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 256 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 18, 21:45
Twenty Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 11 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 139 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 19, 05:00
- Recovers By
- Jul 21, 05:49
- Baseline Return
- Jul 20, 02:00
Black River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 118 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 19, 01:15
Sandy Creek (Adams)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 26 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 55 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 19, 16:00
- Baseline Return
- Jul 20, 19:00
Huron River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 46 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 19, 06:15
Black River (Watertown)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 1,013 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,130 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 18, 14:00
- Baseline Return
- Jul 18, 15:00
Salmon River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 776 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 801 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 19, 02:00
- Baseline Return
- Jul 19, 03:00
Johnson Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 523 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 19, 20:00
Oak Orchard Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 392 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,600 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 19, 10:00
- Recovers By
- Jul 19, 08:04
- Baseline Return
- Jul 21, 01:00
Genesee River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 657 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 4,820 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 18, 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:
