Mon May 25 Alley Storm
May 25 alley-wide storm -- 0.8" in 10hrs, Sandy Creek (Adams) blew out, Sandy Creek (Hamlin) fishable Monday.
Meteorological Analysis
A major storm system rolled through the Steelhead Alley region starting on Monday, May 25, 2026 and lasting until Monday, May 25, 2026. The storm was active for approximately 10 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 640 CFS), Conneaut Creek (peaking at 803 CFS), Vermilion River @ Vermilion (peaking at 1,630 CFS), Cuyahoga River @ Independence (peaking at 1,890 CFS), Brandy Run near Girard (peaking at 18 CFS), Elk Creek (peaking at 51 CFS), Walnut Creek (peaking at 129 CFS), Twenty Mile Creek (peaking at 88 CFS), Crooked Creek (peaking at 23 CFS), Cattaraugus Creek (peaking at 1,140 CFS), Chautauqua Creek (peaking at 117 CFS), Eighteen Mile Creek (peaking at 1,480 CFS), Huron River (peaking at 1,730 CFS), Black River (peaking at 1,910 CFS), Euclid Creek (peaking at 18 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 971 CFS), Oak Orchard Creek (peaking at 1,880 CFS), Genesee River (peaking at 5,880 CFS), Sandy Creek (Hamlin) (peaking at 827 CFS), Irondequoit Creek (peaking at 531 CFS), Johnson Creek (peaking at 889 CFS), Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara) (peaking at 598 CFS), Black River (Watertown) (peaking at 4,040 CFS), Sandy Creek (Adams) (peaking at 375 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
Ashtabula River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 640 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 01:00
- Recovers By
- May 25, 23:00
Conneaut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 803 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 01:00
- Recovers By
- May 25, 23:00
Vermilion River @ Vermilion
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1,630 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 01:00
- Recovers By
- May 26, 21:00
Cuyahoga River @ Independence
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1,890 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 01:00
- Recovers By
- May 25, 22:00
Brandy Run near Girard
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 7 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 18 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 14:00
- Recovers By
- May 25, 23:00
- Baseline Return
- May 25, 21:00
Elk Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 51 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 08:00
- Recovers By
- May 26, 15:00
Walnut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 57 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 129 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 16:00
- Recovers By
- May 26, 15:00
- Baseline Return
- May 25, 23:00
Twenty Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 88 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 08:00
- Recovers By
- May 26, 16:00
Crooked Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 23 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 01:00
- Recovers By
- May 25, 02:00
Cattaraugus Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 911 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,140 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 16:00
- Recovers By
- May 25, 21:00
- Baseline Return
- May 25, 17:00
Chautauqua Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 117 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 04:00
- 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
- Recovers By
- May 26, 10:00
- Baseline Return
- May 26, 06:00
Huron River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1,730 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 01:00
- Recovers By
- May 26, 06:00
Black River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1,910 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 01:00
- Recovers By
- May 26, 16:00
Euclid Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 18 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 01:00
- Recovers By
- May 25, 10:00
Canadaway Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 48 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
- 34 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 312 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 04:00
- 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
- Recovers By
- May 26, 03:00
- Baseline Return
- May 25, 23:00
Cazenovia Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 312 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,480 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 09:00
- Recovers By
- May 26, 06:00
- Baseline Return
- May 26, 02:00
Salmon River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 351 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 971 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 27, 04:00
- Recovers By
- May 27, 05:00
Oak Orchard Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 2,007 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,880 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 05:00
- Recovers By
- May 26, 15:00
- Baseline Return
- May 25, 06:00
Genesee River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 5,880 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 07:45
Sandy Creek (Hamlin)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 1,047 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 827 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 04:00
- Recovers By
- May 27, 01:00
- Baseline Return
- May 25, 05:00
Irondequoit Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 531 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 01:00
Johnson Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 889 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 10:30
- Recovers By
- May 27, 02:00
Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 598 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 01:00
Black River (Watertown)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 4,040 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 11:00
- Recovers By
- May 27, 11:00
Sandy Creek (Adams)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 375 CFS
- Peak Time
- May 25, 01:00
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:
