Tue April 14-16 New York (Lake Erie) & New York (Lake Ontario) & Ohio Storm
Apr 14-16 superstorm -- 2.8" of rain across Steelhead Alley. Lake Erie tribs out through Sunday.
Meteorological Analysis
A severe storm system rolled through the Steelhead Alley region starting on Tuesday, April 14, 2026 and lasting until Thursday, April 16, 2026. The storm was active for approximately 35 hours, dumping a maximum of 2.83" of rain across affected zones. Geographically, the weather system impacted the New York (Lake Erie), New York (Lake Ontario), Ohio regions, causing rapid water-level rises on multiple tributaries.
Gauges recorded significant river responses, particularly along Black River (Watertown) (peaking at 9,940 CFS), Sandy Creek (Adams) (peaking at 1,350 CFS), Huron River (peaking at 2,660 CFS), Chautauqua Creek (peaking at 654 CFS), Eighteen Mile Creek (peaking at 1,060 CFS), Silver Creek (peaking at 462 CFS), Johnson Creek (peaking at 1,480 CFS), Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara) (peaking at 527 CFS), Oak Orchard Creek (peaking at 1,990 CFS), Sandy Creek (Hamlin) (peaking at 747 CFS), Canadaway Creek (peaking at 1,220 CFS), Buffalo Creek (peaking at 2,060 CFS), Cazenovia Creek (peaking at 1,320 CFS), Genesee River (peaking at 11,800 CFS), Irondequoit Creek (peaking at 751 CFS), Salmon River (peaking at 2,570 CFS), Cattaraugus Creek (peaking at 3,820 CFS), Euclid Creek (peaking at 106 CFS), Conneaut Creek (peaking at 1,440 CFS), Vermilion River @ Vermilion (peaking at 1,870 CFS), Cuyahoga River @ Independence (peaking at 4,050 CFS), Brandy Run near Girard (peaking at 56 CFS), Ashtabula River (peaking at 1,128 CFS), Black River (peaking at 1,870 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 (Watertown)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 6,966 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 9,940 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 17, 15:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 17, 20:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 17, 16:00
Sandy Creek (Adams)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 505 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,350 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 17, 09:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 18, 23:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 17, 10:00
Huron River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 232 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 2,660 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 16, 04:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 19, 03:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 18, 23:00
Chautauqua Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 72 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 654 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 16, 02:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 18, 03:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 17, 23:00
Eighteen Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 78 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,060 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 17, 03:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 18, 13:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 18, 06:00
Silver Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 33 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 462 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 16, 03:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 18, 13:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 18, 02:00
Johnson Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 1,480 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,480 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 15, 10:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 15, 15:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 15, 11:00
Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 106 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 527 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 17, 22:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 18, 15:00
Oak Orchard Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 656 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,990 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 17, 11:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 18, 15:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 18, 11:00
Sandy Creek (Hamlin)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 172 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 747 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 17, 09:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 18, 14:00
Canadaway Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 77 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,220 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 18, 23:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 20, 12:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 20, 08:00
Buffalo Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 180 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 2,060 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 17, 06:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 19, 03:00
Cazenovia Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 198 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,320 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 17, 08:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 19, 03:00
Genesee River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 7,831 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 11,800 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 17, 17:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 17, 22:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 17, 18:00
Irondequoit Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 194 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 751 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 16, 10:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 19, 05:00
Salmon River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 2,436 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 2,570 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 17, 07:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 17, 12:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 17, 08:00
Cattaraugus Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 1,189 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 3,820 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 17, 07:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 18, 07:00
Euclid Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 106 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 15, 18:00
Conneaut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 989 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,440 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 17, 19:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 18, 00:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 17, 20:00
Vermilion River @ Vermilion
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 167 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,870 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 16, 10:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 18, 07:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 16, 18:00
Cuyahoga River @ Independence
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 1,032 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 4,050 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 16, 02:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 18, 05:00
Brandy Run near Girard
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 56 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 16, 03:00
Ashtabula River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 193 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,128 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 17, 19:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 18, 14:00
Black River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 200 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,870 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 16, 11:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 19, 04:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 19, 00:00
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:
