Sun August 30 - September 1 Alley Storm
Aug 30-Sep 1 alley-wide storm -- 0.9" in 44hrs, Oak Orchard Creek blew out, Conneaut Creek fishable Wednesday.
Meteorological Analysis
A major storm system rolled through the Steelhead Alley region starting on Sunday, August 30, 2026 and lasting until Tuesday, September 1, 2026. The storm was active for approximately 44 hours, dumping a maximum of 0.86" 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 Rocky River near Berea (peaking at 63 CFS), Cuyahoga River @ Independence (peaking at 327 CFS), Vermilion River @ Vermilion (peaking at 7 CFS), Huron River (peaking at 23 CFS), Black River (peaking at 7 CFS), Irondequoit Creek (peaking at 318 CFS), Sandy Creek (Hamlin) (peaking at 229 CFS), Salmon River (peaking at 244 CFS), Sandy Creek (Adams) (peaking at 267 CFS), Twenty Mile Creek (peaking at 1,864 CFS), Chautauqua Creek (peaking at 38 CFS), Canadaway Creek (peaking at 63 CFS), Eighteen Mile Creek (peaking at 21 CFS), Buffalo Creek (peaking at 89 CFS), Cazenovia Creek (peaking at 96 CFS), Genesee River (peaking at 1,690 CFS), Ashtabula River (peaking at 10 CFS), Conneaut Creek (peaking at 30 CFS), Chagrin River @ Willoughby (peaking at 55 CFS), Grand River near Painesville (peaking at 256 CFS), Brandy Run near Girard (peaking at 6 CFS), Elk Creek (peaking at 240 CFS), Walnut Creek (peaking at 1,180 CFS), Crooked Creek (peaking at 104 CFS), Cattaraugus Creek (peaking at 272 CFS), Silver Creek (peaking at 6 CFS), Euclid Creek (peaking at 15 CFS), Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara) (peaking at 531 CFS), Johnson Creek (peaking at 829 CFS), Black River (Watertown) (peaking at 3,170 CFS), Oak Orchard Creek (peaking at 3,120 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
Rocky River near Berea
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 63 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 30, 15:00
Cuyahoga River @ Independence
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 327 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 31, 07:00
Vermilion River @ Vermilion
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 7 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 30, 15:02
Huron River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 23 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 30, 22:00
Black River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 7 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 31, 11:00
Irondequoit Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 60 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 318 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 31, 23:00
- Recovers By
- Sep 1, 07:45
- Baseline Return
- Sep 2, 08:00
Sandy Creek (Hamlin)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 62 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 229 CFS
- Peak Time
- Sep 3, 01:00
- Recovers By
- Sep 1, 08:15
Salmon River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 244 CFS
- Peak Time
- Sep 1, 09:15
Sandy Creek (Adams)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 51 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 267 CFS
- Peak Time
- Sep 1, 23:00
Twenty Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 19 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,864 CFS
- Peak Time
- Sep 2, 18:00
- Recovers By
- Sep 2, 09:15
Chautauqua Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 38 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 31, 19:00
Canadaway Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 63 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 31, 18:45
Eighteen Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 12 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 21 CFS
- Peak Time
- Sep 3, 01:00
Buffalo Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 23 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 89 CFS
- Peak Time
- Sep 1, 14:00
- Recovers By
- Sep 2, 16:15
Cazenovia Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 45 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 96 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 31, 20:00
- Recovers By
- Sep 2, 16:15
- Baseline Return
- Sep 2, 01:00
Genesee River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 559 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,690 CFS
- Peak Time
- Sep 3, 01:00
Ashtabula River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 10 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 30, 15:45
Conneaut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 12 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 30 CFS
- Peak Time
- Sep 2, 13:00
- Baseline Return
- Sep 2, 14:00
Chagrin River @ Willoughby
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 55 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 30, 15:00
Grand River near Painesville
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 256 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 31, 23:30
Brandy Run near Girard
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 6 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 31, 13:45
Elk Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 240 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 31, 11:45
Walnut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 11 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,180 CFS
- Peak Time
- Sep 2, 18:00
- Recovers By
- Sep 2, 09:15
Crooked Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 104 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 31, 11:45
Cattaraugus Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 272 CFS
- Peak Time
- Sep 1, 00:45
Silver Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 6 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 31, 12:45
Euclid Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 15 CFS
- Peak Time
- Aug 31, 18:08
Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 95 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 531 CFS
- Peak Time
- Sep 3, 01:00
- Recovers By
- Sep 2, 11:45
Johnson Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 39 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 829 CFS
- Peak Time
- Sep 3, 01:00
- Recovers By
- Sep 1, 06:46
Black River (Watertown)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 1,290 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 3,170 CFS
- Peak Time
- Sep 2, 20:00
Oak Orchard Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 295 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 3,120 CFS
- Peak Time
- Sep 3, 01:00
- Recovers By
- Sep 1, 06:46
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:
