Sat April 18-19 New York (Lake Erie) & New York (Lake Ontario) & Pennsylvania Storm
Apr 18-19 alley-wide storm -- 0.7" in 19hrs, Irondequoit Creek blew out, Sandy Creek (Adams) fishable Monday.
Meteorological Analysis
A major storm system rolled through the Steelhead Alley region starting on Saturday, April 18, 2026 and lasting until Sunday, April 19, 2026. The storm was active for approximately 19 hours, dumping a maximum of 0.74" of rain across affected zones. Geographically, the weather system impacted the New York (Lake Erie), New York (Lake Ontario), Pennsylvania regions, causing rapid water-level rises on multiple tributaries.
Gauges recorded significant river responses, particularly along Elk Creek (peaking at 1,251 CFS), Walnut Creek (peaking at 1,360 CFS), Twenty Mile Creek (peaking at 2,149 CFS), Crooked Creek (peaking at 544 CFS), Cattaraugus Creek (peaking at 3,360 CFS), Chautauqua Creek (peaking at 927 CFS), Eighteen Mile Creek (peaking at 1,670 CFS), Canadaway Creek (peaking at 2,100 CFS), Silver Creek (peaking at 805 CFS), Buffalo Creek (peaking at 1,500 CFS), Cazenovia Creek (peaking at 1,510 CFS), Salmon River (peaking at 1,630 CFS), Oak Orchard Creek (peaking at 2,040 CFS), Genesee River (peaking at 9,610 CFS), Sandy Creek (Hamlin) (peaking at 575 CFS), Irondequoit Creek (peaking at 536 CFS), Johnson Creek (peaking at 1,480 CFS), Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara) (peaking at 855 CFS), Black River (Watertown) (peaking at 11,100 CFS), Sandy Creek (Adams) (peaking at 1,270 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
Elk Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1,251 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 18, 23:45
Walnut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 129 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,360 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 18, 23:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 20, 08:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 20, 04:00
Twenty Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 2,149 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 18, 23:45
Crooked Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 544 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 18, 23:45
Cattaraugus Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 1,621 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 3,360 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 19, 06:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 20, 06:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 20, 02:00
Chautauqua Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 66 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 927 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 19, 01:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 20, 11:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 20, 07:00
Eighteen Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 134 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,670 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 19, 04:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 20, 17:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 20, 13:00
Canadaway Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 89 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 2,100 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 19, 01:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 20, 12:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 20, 02:00
Silver Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 68 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 805 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 19, 00:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 20, 02:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 19, 22:00
Buffalo Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 346 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,500 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 19, 08:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 19, 03:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 20, 07:00
Cazenovia Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 367 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,510 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 19, 09:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 19, 03:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 20, 11:00
Salmon River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 1,504 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,630 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 19, 13:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 19, 18:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 19, 14:00
Oak Orchard Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 2,040 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 19, 14:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 19, 19:00
Genesee River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 9,610 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 18, 21:45
Sandy Creek (Hamlin)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 396 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 575 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 19, 07:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 19, 04:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 19, 08:00
Irondequoit Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 536 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 19, 06:15
- Recovers By
- Apr 19, 05:00
Johnson Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 1,480 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,480 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 19, 00:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 19, 05:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 19, 01:00
Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 437 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 855 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 19, 12:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 19, 03:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 20, 00:00
Black River (Watertown)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 9,632 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 11,100 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 20, 18:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 20, 23:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 20, 19:00
Sandy Creek (Adams)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 760 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,270 CFS
- Peak Time
- Apr 19, 18:00
- Recovers By
- Apr 18, 23:00
- Baseline Return
- Apr 20, 04:00
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:
