Fri May 22-24 Alley Storm
May 22-24 alley-wide storm -- 0.8" in 39hrs, Sandy Creek (Adams) blew out, Oak Orchard Creek fishable Tuesday.
Meteorological Analysis
A major storm system rolled through the Steelhead Alley region starting on Friday, May 22, 2026 and lasting until Sunday, May 24, 2026. The storm was active for approximately 39 hours, dumping a maximum of 0.81" 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 994 CFS), Conneaut Creek (peaking at 1,280 CFS), Vermilion River @ Vermilion (peaking at 3,600 CFS), Cuyahoga River @ Independence (peaking at 3,070 CFS), Brandy Run near Girard (peaking at 73 CFS), Elk Creek (peaking at 336 CFS), Walnut Creek (peaking at 365 CFS), Twenty Mile Creek (peaking at 572 CFS), Crooked Creek (peaking at 145 CFS), Cattaraugus Creek (peaking at 1,140 CFS), Chautauqua Creek (peaking at 214 CFS), Eighteen Mile Creek (peaking at 1,480 CFS), Huron River (peaking at 7,600 CFS), Black River (peaking at 3,170 CFS), Euclid Creek (peaking at 424 CFS), Canadaway Creek (peaking at 292 CFS), Silver Creek (peaking at 312 CFS), Buffalo Creek (peaking at 1,370 CFS), Cazenovia Creek (peaking at 1,480 CFS), Salmon River (peaking at 590 CFS), Oak Orchard Creek (peaking at 2,630 CFS), Genesee River (peaking at 3,290 CFS), Sandy Creek (Hamlin) (peaking at 1,150 CFS), Irondequoit Creek (peaking at 663 CFS), Johnson Creek (peaking at 889 CFS), Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara) (peaking at 872 CFS), Black River (Watertown) (peaking at 6,070 CFS), Sandy Creek (Adams) (peaking at 171 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 'C'. 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
- 144 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 994 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 24, 13:00
- Recovers By
- May 25, 23:00
Conneaut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 181 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,280 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 24, 11:00
- Recovers By
- May 25, 23:00
Vermilion River @ Vermilion
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 190 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 3,600 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 24, 04:00
- Recovers By
- May 26, 21:00
Cuyahoga River @ Independence
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 775 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 3,070 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 24, 03:00
- Recovers By
- May 25, 22:00
Brandy Run near Girard
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 4 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 73 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 23, 13:00
- Recovers By
- May 25, 23:00
- Baseline Return
- May 25, 21:00
Elk Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 28 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 336 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 23, 17:00
- Recovers By
- May 26, 15:00
Walnut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 18 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 365 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 23, 15:00
- Recovers By
- May 26, 15:00
- Baseline Return
- May 25, 23:00
Twenty Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 29 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 572 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 23, 17:00
- Recovers By
- May 26, 16:00
Crooked Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 14 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 145 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 23, 17:00
- Recovers By
- May 25, 02:00
Cattaraugus Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 911 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,140 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 16:00
- Baseline Return
- May 25, 17:00
Chautauqua Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 26 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 214 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 23, 18:00
- Recovers By
- May 26, 16:00
Eighteen Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 106 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,480 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 06:00
- Baseline Return
- May 26, 06:00
Huron River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 178 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 7,600 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 24, 02:00
- Recovers By
- May 26, 06:00
Black River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 163 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 3,170 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 24, 10:00
- Recovers By
- May 23, 07:00
Euclid Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 10 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 424 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 23, 15:00
- Recovers By
- May 25, 10:00
- Baseline Return
- May 25, 06:00
Canadaway Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 32 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 292 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 03:00
- Recovers By
- May 26, 18:00
- Baseline Return
- May 26, 01:00
Silver Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 18 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 312 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 02:00
- Recovers By
- May 27, 20:00
- Baseline Return
- May 26, 07:00
Buffalo Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 381 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,370 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 10:00
- Baseline Return
- May 25, 23:00
Cazenovia Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 312 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,480 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 09:00
- Baseline Return
- May 26, 02:00
Salmon River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 278 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 590 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 26, 06:00
- Recovers By
- May 27, 05:00
Oak Orchard Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 581 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 2,630 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 24, 14:00
- Recovers By
- May 26, 15:00
- Baseline Return
- May 26, 11:00
Genesee River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 3,290 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 24, 09:45
Sandy Creek (Hamlin)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 100 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,150 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 24, 17:00
- Recovers By
- May 27, 01:00
Irondequoit Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 663 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 24, 09:15
Johnson Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 92 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 889 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 10:00
- Recovers By
- May 27, 02:00
Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 872 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 24, 09:15
Black River (Watertown)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 2,556 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 6,070 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 27, 07:00
- Recovers By
- May 27, 11:00
Sandy Creek (Adams)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 171 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 24, 11:00
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:
