Thu August 6-7 Alley Storm
Aug 6-7 superstorm -- 1.5" of rain across Steelhead Alley. Lake Erie tribs out through Friday.
Meteorological Analysis
A severe storm system rolled through the Steelhead Alley region starting on Thursday, August 6, 2026 and lasting until Friday, August 7, 2026. The storm was active for approximately 31 hours, dumping a maximum of 1.54" 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 97 CFS), Black River (Watertown) (peaking at 1,440 CFS), Sandy Creek (Adams) (peaking at 57 CFS), Cuyahoga River @ Independence (peaking at 1,760 CFS), Salmon River (peaking at 256 CFS), Chagrin River @ Willoughby (peaking at 816 CFS), Euclid Creek (peaking at 1,040 CFS), Rocky River near Berea (peaking at 1,590 CFS), Vermilion River @ Vermilion (peaking at 433 CFS), Black River (peaking at 693 CFS), Buffalo Creek (peaking at 177 CFS), Cazenovia Creek (peaking at 458 CFS), Sandy Creek (Hamlin) (peaking at 73 CFS), Huron River (peaking at 283 CFS), Oak Orchard Creek (peaking at 932 CFS), Johnson Creek (peaking at 190 CFS), Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara) (peaking at 202 CFS), Twenty Mile Creek (peaking at 30 CFS), Eighteen Mile Creek (peaking at 24 CFS), Canadaway Creek (peaking at 58 CFS), Silver Creek (peaking at 5 CFS), Conneaut Creek (peaking at 29 CFS), Grand River near Painesville (peaking at 256 CFS), Ashtabula River (peaking at 22 CFS), Brandy Run near Girard (peaking at 2 CFS), Elk Creek (peaking at 17 CFS), Crooked Creek (peaking at 7 CFS), Walnut Creek (peaking at 19 CFS), Cattaraugus Creek (peaking at 322 CFS), Genesee River (peaking at 1,610 CFS), Chautauqua Creek (peaking at 15 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
Irondequoit Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 81 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 97 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 18:00
- Baseline Return
- Aug 8, 19:00
Black River (Watertown)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1,440 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 6, 15:00
Sandy Creek (Adams)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 57 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 6, 11:00
Cuyahoga River @ Independence
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 295 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,760 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 7, 14:00
Salmon River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 256 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 6, 11:00
Chagrin River @ Willoughby
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 22 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 816 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 02:00
Euclid Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 16 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,040 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 7, 12:00
- Baseline Return
- Aug 8, 18:00
Rocky River near Berea
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 80 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,590 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 7, 13:00
Vermilion River @ Vermilion
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 33 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 433 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 7, 18:00
Black River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 7 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 693 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 7, 10:00
- Recovers By
- Aug 7, 09:48
Buffalo Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 19 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 177 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 19:00
Cazenovia Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 31 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 458 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 15:00
Sandy Creek (Hamlin)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 73 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 6, 11:00
Huron River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 23 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 283 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 7, 11:00
- Recovers By
- Aug 7, 11:03
Oak Orchard Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 932 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 6, 16:45
Johnson Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 190 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 6, 11:00
Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 168 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 202 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 10:00
- Baseline Return
- Aug 8, 11:00
Twenty Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 11 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 30 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 7, 14:00
- Baseline Return
- Aug 7, 15:00
Eighteen Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 24 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 7, 16:00
Canadaway Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 6 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 58 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 01:00
Silver Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 5 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 7, 16:30
Conneaut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 21 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 29 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 7, 13:00
- Baseline Return
- Aug 7, 14:00
Grand River near Painesville
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 31 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 256 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 20:00
Ashtabula River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 17 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 22 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 7, 13:00
- Baseline Return
- Aug 7, 14:00
Brandy Run near Girard
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 2 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 7, 12:45
Elk Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 17 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 7, 14:45
Crooked Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 7 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 7, 14:30
Walnut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 19 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 7, 12:45
Cattaraugus Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 322 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 6, 16:30
Genesee River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 924 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,610 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 10:00
- Baseline Return
- Aug 8, 12:00
Chautauqua Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 15 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 6, 11:00
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:
