Severe Storm Aug 1, 2026 - Aug 4, 2026

Sat August 1-4 Alley Storm

Aug 1-4 superstorm -- 1.6" of rain across Steelhead Alley. Lake Erie tribs out through Monday.

August 1-4 Alley Storm Card

Meteorological Analysis

A severe storm system rolled through the Steelhead Alley region starting on Saturday, August 1, 2026 and lasting until Tuesday, August 4, 2026. The storm was active for approximately 61 hours, dumping a maximum of 1.64" 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 Salmon River (peaking at 289 CFS), Huron River (peaking at 39 CFS), Vermilion River @ Vermilion (peaking at 60 CFS), Rocky River near Berea (peaking at 132 CFS), Chagrin River @ Willoughby (peaking at 786 CFS), Ashtabula River (peaking at 169 CFS), Conneaut Creek (peaking at 216 CFS), Grand River near Painesville (peaking at 89 CFS), Elk Creek (peaking at 161 CFS), Crooked Creek (peaking at 77 CFS), Brandy Run near Girard (peaking at 35 CFS), Walnut Creek (peaking at 193 CFS), Cattaraugus Creek (peaking at 305 CFS), Chautauqua Creek (peaking at 64 CFS), Canadaway Creek (peaking at 67 CFS), Silver Creek (peaking at 17 CFS), Twenty Mile Creek (peaking at 305 CFS), Sandy Creek (Hamlin) (peaking at 244 CFS), Eighteen Mile Creek (peaking at 105 CFS), Buffalo Creek (peaking at 275 CFS), Cazenovia Creek (peaking at 248 CFS), Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara) (peaking at 2,620 CFS), Genesee River (peaking at 2,040 CFS), Irondequoit Creek (peaking at 591 CFS), Johnson Creek (peaking at 1,010 CFS), Black River (peaking at 113 CFS), Black River (Watertown) (peaking at 1,700 CFS), Cuyahoga River @ Independence (peaking at 1,790 CFS), Euclid Creek (peaking at 791 CFS), Sandy Creek (Adams) (peaking at 242 CFS), Oak Orchard Creek (peaking at 1,900 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

Salmon River

Pre-Storm Flow
N/A
Observed Peak
289 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 3, 11:00

Huron River

Pre-Storm Flow
N/A
Observed Peak
39 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 3, 00:45

Vermilion River @ Vermilion

Pre-Storm Flow
8 CFS
Observed Peak
60 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 3, 01:00
Recovers By
Aug 5, 07:04

Rocky River near Berea

Pre-Storm Flow
N/A
Observed Peak
132 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 2, 16:30

Chagrin River @ Willoughby

Pre-Storm Flow
17 CFS
Observed Peak
786 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 3, 07:00
Recovers By
Aug 5, 06:04

Ashtabula River

Pre-Storm Flow
N/A
Observed Peak
169 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 4, 04:15

Conneaut Creek

Pre-Storm Flow
N/A
Observed Peak
216 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 4, 02:30

Grand River near Painesville

Pre-Storm Flow
N/A
Observed Peak
89 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 3, 09:45

Elk Creek

Pre-Storm Flow
N/A
Observed Peak
161 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 3, 06:00

Crooked Creek

Pre-Storm Flow
N/A
Observed Peak
77 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 3, 05:45

Brandy Run near Girard

Pre-Storm Flow
N/A
Observed Peak
35 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 3, 03:15

Walnut Creek

Pre-Storm Flow
12 CFS
Observed Peak
193 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 3, 05:00
Recovers By
Aug 3, 09:18
Baseline Return
Aug 3, 23:00

Cattaraugus Creek

Pre-Storm Flow
N/A
Observed Peak
305 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 2, 22:00

Chautauqua Creek

Pre-Storm Flow
N/A
Observed Peak
64 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 3, 09:30

Canadaway Creek

Pre-Storm Flow
8 CFS
Observed Peak
67 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 3, 02:00
Recovers By
Aug 3, 12:18
Baseline Return
Aug 4, 15:00

Silver Creek

Pre-Storm Flow
N/A
Observed Peak
17 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 3, 06:45

Twenty Mile Creek

Pre-Storm Flow
18 CFS
Observed Peak
305 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 3, 05:00
Recovers By
Aug 4, 05:48
Baseline Return
Aug 4, 00:00

Sandy Creek (Hamlin)

Pre-Storm Flow
N/A
Observed Peak
244 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 3, 20:30

Eighteen Mile Creek

Pre-Storm Flow
7 CFS
Observed Peak
105 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 3, 03:00
Recovers By
Aug 4, 05:48
Baseline Return
Aug 3, 16:00

Buffalo Creek

Pre-Storm Flow
N/A
Observed Peak
275 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 3, 05:30

Cazenovia Creek

Pre-Storm Flow
N/A
Observed Peak
248 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 3, 06:45

Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara)

Pre-Storm Flow
132 CFS
Observed Peak
2,620 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 3, 11:00
Recovers By
Aug 3, 13:04

Genesee River

Pre-Storm Flow
1,240 CFS
Observed Peak
2,040 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 3, 18:00
Recovers By
Aug 3, 13:48
Baseline Return
Aug 3, 19:00

Irondequoit Creek

Pre-Storm Flow
81 CFS
Observed Peak
591 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 2, 20:00
Recovers By
Aug 3, 14:18

Johnson Creek

Pre-Storm Flow
34 CFS
Observed Peak
1,010 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 4, 18:00
Recovers By
Aug 3, 12:48

Black River

Pre-Storm Flow
N/A
Observed Peak
113 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 2, 08:45

Black River (Watertown)

Pre-Storm Flow
N/A
Observed Peak
1,700 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 2, 15:00

Cuyahoga River @ Independence

Pre-Storm Flow
N/A
Observed Peak
1,790 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 2, 12:45

Euclid Creek

Pre-Storm Flow
8 CFS
Observed Peak
791 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 2, 10:00
Baseline Return
Aug 2, 22:00

Sandy Creek (Adams)

Pre-Storm Flow
N/A
Observed Peak
242 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 4, 00:45

Oak Orchard Creek

Pre-Storm Flow
701 CFS
Observed Peak
1,900 CFS
Peak Time
Aug 3, 14:00
Recovers By
Aug 3, 06:05
Baseline Return
Aug 4, 13:00

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:

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