Sat August 22-24 Alley Storm
Aug 22-24 superstorm -- 2.2" of rain across Steelhead Alley; NWS Cleveland forecast undershot by 0.8". Lake Erie tribs out through Sunday.
Meteorological Analysis
A severe storm system rolled through the Steelhead Alley region starting on Saturday, August 22, 2026 and lasting until Monday, August 24, 2026. The storm was active for approximately 42 hours, dumping a maximum of 2.22" 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 Black River (peaking at 1,000 CFS), Ashtabula River (peaking at 382 CFS), Rocky River near Berea (peaking at 458 CFS), Conneaut Creek (peaking at 508 CFS), Chagrin River @ Willoughby (peaking at 1,850 CFS), Grand River near Painesville (peaking at 953 CFS), Cuyahoga River @ Independence (peaking at 1,760 CFS), Euclid Creek (peaking at 1,250 CFS), Elk Creek (peaking at 362 CFS), Crooked Creek (peaking at 158 CFS), Brandy Run near Girard (peaking at 35 CFS), Walnut Creek (peaking at 394 CFS), Twenty Mile Creek (peaking at 623 CFS), Cattaraugus Creek (peaking at 468 CFS), Chautauqua Creek (peaking at 778 CFS), Eighteen Mile Creek (peaking at 48 CFS), Canadaway Creek (peaking at 6,640 CFS), Silver Creek (peaking at 13 CFS), Buffalo Creek (peaking at 408 CFS), Cazenovia Creek (peaking at 288 CFS), Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara) (peaking at 147 CFS), Sandy Creek (Hamlin) (peaking at 136 CFS), Genesee River (peaking at 1,570 CFS), Irondequoit Creek (peaking at 67 CFS), Salmon River (peaking at 236 CFS), Black River (Watertown) (peaking at 1,130 CFS), Sandy Creek (Adams) (peaking at 26 CFS), Huron River (peaking at 45 CFS), Oak Orchard Creek (peaking at 618 CFS), Johnson Creek (peaking at 51 CFS), Vermilion River @ Vermilion (peaking at 31 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
Black River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1,000 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 23, 08:45
Ashtabula River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 29 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 382 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 25, 01:00
Rocky River near Berea
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 427 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 458 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 23, 07:00
- Baseline Return
- Aug 23, 08:00
Conneaut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 40 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 508 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 25, 01:00
Chagrin River @ Willoughby
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 33 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,850 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 22, 22:00
- Recovers By
- Aug 24, 00:45
- Baseline Return
- Aug 24, 18:00
Grand River near Painesville
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 62 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 953 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 24, 09:00
- Recovers By
- Aug 23, 20:45
Cuyahoga River @ Independence
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 356 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,760 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 23, 10:00
- Recovers By
- Aug 23, 07:15
Euclid Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 103 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,250 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 22, 21:00
- Recovers By
- Aug 24, 01:15
- Baseline Return
- Aug 23, 03:00
Elk Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 9 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 362 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 24, 06:00
Crooked Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 4 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 158 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 24, 06:00
- Recovers By
- Aug 24, 00:15
Brandy Run near Girard
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 1 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 35 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 24, 07:00
- Recovers By
- Aug 23, 06:30
Walnut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 9 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 394 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 24, 04:00
Twenty Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 82 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 623 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 24, 06:00
Cattaraugus Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 141 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 468 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 25, 01:00
Chautauqua Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 166 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 778 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 24, 04:00
Eighteen Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 48 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 24, 01:45
Canadaway Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 6,640 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 23, 22:15
Silver Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 13 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 23, 07:45
Buffalo Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 408 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 23, 15:00
Cazenovia Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 288 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 23, 14:15
Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 147 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 23, 14:15
Sandy Creek (Hamlin)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 136 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 23, 22:30
Genesee River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1,570 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 23, 03:15
Irondequoit Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 67 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 24, 01:45
Salmon River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 236 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 23, 09:00
Black River (Watertown)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1,130 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 23, 20:00
Sandy Creek (Adams)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 26 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 24, 02:00
Huron River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 45 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 22, 09:15
Oak Orchard Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 484 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 618 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 23, 01:00
- Recovers By
- Aug 23, 06:30
Johnson Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 37 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 51 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 23, 01:00
- Recovers By
- Aug 23, 06:45
Vermilion River @ Vermilion
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 31 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 23, 07:15
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:
