Tue July 21-24 Alley Storm
Jul 21-24 superstorm -- 1.6" of rain across Steelhead Alley. Lake Erie tribs out through Thursday.
Meteorological Analysis
A severe storm system rolled through the Steelhead Alley region starting on Tuesday, July 21, 2026 and lasting until Friday, July 24, 2026. The storm was active for approximately 65 hours, dumping a maximum of 1.57" 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 Irondequoit Creek (peaking at 150 CFS), Sandy Creek (Hamlin) (peaking at 205 CFS), Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara) (peaking at 579 CFS), Huron River (peaking at 72 CFS), Vermilion River @ Vermilion (peaking at 35 CFS), Rocky River near Berea (peaking at 223 CFS), Chagrin River @ Willoughby (peaking at 344 CFS), Grand River near Painesville (peaking at 256 CFS), Cuyahoga River @ Independence (peaking at 1,150 CFS), Black River (peaking at 83 CFS), Euclid Creek (peaking at 298 CFS), Brandy Run near Girard (peaking at 20 CFS), Elk Creek (peaking at 246 CFS), Walnut Creek (peaking at 267 CFS), Crooked Creek (peaking at 101 CFS), Chautauqua Creek (peaking at 24 CFS), Eighteen Mile Creek (peaking at 88 CFS), Canadaway Creek (peaking at 23 CFS), Silver Creek (peaking at 10 CFS), Buffalo Creek (peaking at 94 CFS), Cazenovia Creek (peaking at 106 CFS), Johnson Creek (peaking at 323 CFS), Cattaraugus Creek (peaking at 175 CFS), Salmon River (peaking at 264 CFS), Black River (Watertown) (peaking at 1,530 CFS), Genesee River (peaking at 2,160 CFS), Twenty Mile Creek (peaking at 398 CFS), Sandy Creek (Adams) (peaking at 114 CFS), Conneaut Creek (peaking at 150 CFS), Ashtabula River (peaking at 117 CFS), Oak Orchard Creek (peaking at 1,610 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 'B'. 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
Irondequoit Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 150 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 22, 02:45
- Recovers By
- Jul 21, 19:04
Sandy Creek (Hamlin)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 205 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 21, 11:00
- Recovers By
- Jul 21, 21:05
Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 289 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 579 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 22, 11:00
- Recovers By
- Jul 21, 15:49
- Baseline Return
- Jul 22, 22:00
Huron River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 72 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 21, 15:45
Vermilion River @ Vermilion
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 35 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 22, 16:15
Rocky River near Berea
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 223 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 22, 11:30
Chagrin River @ Willoughby
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 21 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 344 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 22, 10:00
- Recovers By
- Jul 22, 07:19
Grand River near Painesville
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 23 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 256 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 21, 17:00
Cuyahoga River @ Independence
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1,150 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 22, 04:15
Black River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 83 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 21, 14:15
Euclid Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 8 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 298 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 21, 14:00
- Recovers By
- Jul 22, 07:34
- Baseline Return
- Jul 23, 23:00
Brandy Run near Girard
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 20 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 22, 01:15
Elk Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 246 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 22, 04:15
Walnut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 7 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 267 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 22, 02:00
- Recovers By
- Jul 24, 05:49
- Baseline Return
- Jul 23, 14:00
Crooked Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 9 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 101 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 22, 04:00
- Recovers By
- Jul 23, 05:49
- Baseline Return
- Jul 22, 17:00
Chautauqua Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 24 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 21, 22:45
Eighteen Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 7 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 88 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 22, 07:00
- Recovers By
- Jul 24, 05:49
- Baseline Return
- Jul 23, 04:00
Canadaway Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 23 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 21, 16:00
Silver Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 10 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 22, 07:15
Buffalo Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 17 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 94 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 22, 06:00
- Recovers By
- Jul 22, 07:04
- Baseline Return
- Jul 23, 19:00
Cazenovia Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 106 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 22, 16:00
Johnson Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 323 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 23, 03:00
Cattaraugus Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 175 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 22, 18:00
Salmon River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 264 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 22, 14:30
Black River (Watertown)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1,530 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 22, 02:30
Genesee River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 1,773 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 2,160 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 22, 07:00
- Recovers By
- Jul 21, 14:33
- Baseline Return
- Jul 22, 08:00
Twenty Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 12 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 398 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 22, 04:00
- Recovers By
- Jul 24, 05:49
- Baseline Return
- Jul 23, 14:00
Sandy Creek (Adams)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 114 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 22, 12:00
Conneaut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 36 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 150 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 23, 12:00
- Recovers By
- Jul 22, 09:05
Ashtabula River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 26 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 117 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 23, 12:00
- Recovers By
- Jul 23, 05:49
Oak Orchard Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1,610 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 21, 15:30
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:
