Sat August 8 Alley Storm
Aug 8 severe storm -- 1.1" of rain across Steelhead Alley. Lake Erie tribs out through Saturday.
Meteorological Analysis
A severe storm system rolled through the Steelhead Alley region starting on Saturday, August 8, 2026 and lasting until Saturday, August 8, 2026. The storm was active for approximately 2 hours, dumping a maximum of 1.11" 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 252 CFS), Conneaut Creek (peaking at 21 CFS), Buffalo Creek (peaking at 177 CFS), Cazenovia Creek (peaking at 458 CFS), Black River (peaking at 210 CFS), Sandy Creek (Hamlin) (peaking at 64 CFS), Cuyahoga River @ Independence (peaking at 728 CFS), Irondequoit Creek (peaking at 89 CFS), Cattaraugus Creek (peaking at 292 CFS), Johnson Creek (peaking at 115 CFS), Chautauqua Creek (peaking at 31 CFS), Rocky River near Berea (peaking at 367 CFS), Vermilion River @ Vermilion (peaking at 210 CFS), Huron River (peaking at 164 CFS), Euclid Creek (peaking at 46 CFS), Genesee River (peaking at 1,580 CFS), Sandy Creek (Adams) (peaking at 39 CFS), Chagrin River @ Willoughby (peaking at 391 CFS), Grand River near Painesville (peaking at 73 CFS), Ashtabula River (peaking at 17 CFS), Eighteen Mile Creek (peaking at 21 CFS), Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara) (peaking at 199 CFS), Brandy Run near Girard (peaking at 2 CFS), Elk Creek (peaking at 9 CFS), Walnut Creek (peaking at 10 CFS), Crooked Creek (peaking at 4 CFS), Black River (Watertown) (peaking at 1,660 CFS), Twenty Mile Creek (peaking at 16 CFS), Canadaway Creek (peaking at 27 CFS), Silver Creek (peaking at 14 CFS), Oak Orchard Creek (peaking at 735 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
- 252 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 11:00
Conneaut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 21 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 11:00
Buffalo Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 23 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 177 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 17:00
Cazenovia Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 37 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 458 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 13:00
- Baseline Return
- Aug 10, 00:00
Black River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 210 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 11:01
- Recovers By
- Aug 10, 02:03
Sandy Creek (Hamlin)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 64 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 13:00
Cuyahoga River @ Independence
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 728 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 11:00
- Recovers By
- Aug 10, 02:48
Irondequoit Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 89 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 11:00
Cattaraugus Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 292 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 12:15
Johnson Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 115 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 12:15
Chautauqua Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 31 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 11:15
Rocky River near Berea
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 367 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 11:00
- Recovers By
- Aug 10, 02:33
Vermilion River @ Vermilion
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 210 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 11:00
- Recovers By
- Aug 10, 02:03
Huron River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 164 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 11:00
- Recovers By
- Aug 10, 01:03
Euclid Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 46 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 11:00
- Recovers By
- Aug 9, 03:33
Genesee River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1,580 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 11:00
Sandy Creek (Adams)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 39 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 11:01
Chagrin River @ Willoughby
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 391 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 11:00
- Recovers By
- Aug 9, 07:18
Grand River near Painesville
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 73 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 13:00
- Recovers By
- Aug 8, 20:48
Ashtabula River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 17 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 12:45
Eighteen Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 21 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 13:00
Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 199 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 11:00
Brandy Run near Girard
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 2 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 11:00
Elk Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 9 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 11:45
Walnut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 10 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 11:15
Crooked Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 4 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 11:45
Black River (Watertown)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1,660 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 11:01
Twenty Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 16 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 16 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 13:00
- Baseline Return
- Aug 8, 14:00
Canadaway Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 27 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 11:00
- Recovers By
- Aug 8, 11:18
Silver Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 14 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 11:00
Oak Orchard Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 735 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 8, 12:30
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:
