Wed May 20 Alley Storm
May 20 alley-wide storm -- 0.9" in 5hrs, Sandy Creek (Adams) blew out, Sandy Creek (Hamlin) fishable Wednesday.
Meteorological Analysis
A major storm system rolled through the Steelhead Alley region starting on Wednesday, May 20, 2026 and lasting until Wednesday, May 20, 2026. The storm was active for approximately 5 hours, dumping a maximum of 0.91" 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 Ashtabula River (peaking at 117 CFS), Conneaut Creek (peaking at 282 CFS), Vermilion River @ Vermilion (peaking at 167 CFS), Cuyahoga River @ Independence (peaking at 1,520 CFS), Brandy Run near Girard (peaking at 24 CFS), Elk Creek (peaking at 96 CFS), Walnut Creek (peaking at 77 CFS), Twenty Mile Creek (peaking at 71 CFS), Crooked Creek (peaking at 40 CFS), Cattaraugus Creek (peaking at 942 CFS), Chautauqua Creek (peaking at 66 CFS), Eighteen Mile Creek (peaking at 130 CFS), Huron River (peaking at 419 CFS), Black River (peaking at 241 CFS), Euclid Creek (peaking at 90 CFS), Canadaway Creek (peaking at 165 CFS), Silver Creek (peaking at 30 CFS), Buffalo Creek (peaking at 125 CFS), Cazenovia Creek (peaking at 173 CFS), Salmon River (peaking at 859 CFS), Oak Orchard Creek (peaking at 1,490 CFS), Genesee River (peaking at 3,780 CFS), Sandy Creek (Hamlin) (peaking at 126 CFS), Irondequoit Creek (peaking at 144 CFS), Johnson Creek (peaking at 1,480 CFS), Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara) (peaking at 96 CFS), Black River (Watertown) (peaking at 3,700 CFS), Sandy Creek (Adams) (peaking at 183 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 'F'. 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
Ashtabula River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 117 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 20, 06:30
Conneaut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 140 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 282 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 21, 14:00
- Recovers By
- May 22, 09:00
- Baseline Return
- May 22, 05:00
Vermilion River @ Vermilion
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 167 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 20, 04:45
- Recovers By
- May 22, 05:00
Cuyahoga River @ Independence
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 652 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,520 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 20, 13:00
- Recovers By
- May 21, 16:00
- Baseline Return
- May 21, 12:00
Brandy Run near Girard
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 4 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 24 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 20, 05:00
- Recovers By
- May 20, 22:00
- Baseline Return
- May 20, 18:00
Elk Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 49 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 96 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 20, 10:00
- Recovers By
- May 20, 18:00
- Baseline Return
- May 20, 14:00
Walnut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 77 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 20, 08:00
Twenty Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 71 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 20, 07:45
Crooked Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 9 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 40 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 20, 10:00
- Recovers By
- May 20, 18:00
- Baseline Return
- May 20, 14:00
Cattaraugus Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 634 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 942 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 20, 14:00
- Recovers By
- May 20, 19:00
- Baseline Return
- May 20, 15:00
Chautauqua Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 66 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 20, 07:45
Eighteen Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 130 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 20, 08:00
Huron River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 127 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 419 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 21, 06:00
- Recovers By
- May 22, 18:00
- Baseline Return
- May 22, 14:00
Black River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 87 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 241 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 22, 07:00
- Recovers By
- May 23, 07:00
Euclid Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 10 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 90 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 20, 05:00
- Recovers By
- May 21, 00:00
- Baseline Return
- May 20, 20:00
Canadaway Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 43 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 165 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 20, 08:00
- Recovers By
- May 21, 05:00
- Baseline Return
- May 21, 01:00
Silver Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 30 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 20, 07:45
Buffalo Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 125 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 20, 08:00
Cazenovia Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 173 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 20, 08:00
- Recovers By
- May 21, 06:00
Salmon River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 859 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 20, 03:45
Oak Orchard Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1,490 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 20, 03:15
Genesee River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 3,833 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 3,780 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 20, 03:00
- Baseline Return
- May 20, 04:00
Sandy Creek (Hamlin)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 126 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 126 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 20, 04:00
- Recovers By
- May 20, 09:00
- Baseline Return
- May 20, 05:00
Irondequoit Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 144 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 20, 03:00
Johnson Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1,480 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 20, 03:00
Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 96 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 20, 08:00
Black River (Watertown)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 3,700 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 20, 03:00
Sandy Creek (Adams)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 183 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 20, 04:30
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:
