Sun June 14-15 Alley Storm
Jun 14-15 superstorm -- 2.0" of rain across Steelhead Alley. Lake Erie tribs out through Thursday.
Meteorological Analysis
A severe storm system rolled through the Steelhead Alley region starting on Sunday, June 14, 2026 and lasting until Monday, June 15, 2026. The storm was active for approximately 17 hours, dumping a maximum of 1.99" 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 709 CFS), Conneaut Creek (peaking at 905 CFS), Vermilion River @ Vermilion (peaking at 672 CFS), Cuyahoga River @ Independence (peaking at 2,140 CFS), Brandy Run near Girard (peaking at 21 CFS), Elk Creek (peaking at 743 CFS), Walnut Creek (peaking at 823 CFS), Twenty Mile Creek (peaking at 1,277 CFS), Crooked Creek (peaking at 323 CFS), Cattaraugus Creek (peaking at 1,120 CFS), Chautauqua Creek (peaking at 237 CFS), Eighteen Mile Creek (peaking at 664 CFS), Huron River (peaking at 339 CFS), Black River (peaking at 200 CFS), Euclid Creek (peaking at 354 CFS), Canadaway Creek (peaking at 105 CFS), Silver Creek (peaking at 50 CFS), Buffalo Creek (peaking at 731 CFS), Cazenovia Creek (peaking at 696 CFS), Salmon River (peaking at 295 CFS), Oak Orchard Creek (peaking at 1,330 CFS), Genesee River (peaking at 4,030 CFS), Sandy Creek (Hamlin) (peaking at 268 CFS), Irondequoit Creek (peaking at 512 CFS), Johnson Creek (peaking at 359 CFS), Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara) (peaking at 258 CFS), Black River (Watertown) (peaking at 2,430 CFS), Sandy Creek (Adams) (peaking at 354 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
- 57 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 709 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 15, 03:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 14, 22:00
- Baseline Return
- Jun 17, 19:00
Conneaut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 75 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 905 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 15, 01:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 14, 22:00
- Baseline Return
- Jun 17, 18:00
Vermilion River @ Vermilion
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 70 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 672 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 15, 22:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 17, 23:00
Cuyahoga River @ Independence
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 394 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 2,140 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 15, 01:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 16, 14:00
- Baseline Return
- Jun 16, 10:00
Brandy Run near Girard
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 2 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 21 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 15, 00:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 16, 21:00
- Baseline Return
- Jun 16, 17:00
Elk Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 10 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 743 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 15, 00:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 18, 01:00
Walnut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 11 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 823 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 14, 23:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 18, 01:00
Twenty Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 17 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,277 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 15, 01:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 18, 01:00
Crooked Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 4 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 323 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 15, 00:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 18, 02:00
Cattaraugus Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 270 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,120 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 15, 07:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 16, 22:00
- Baseline Return
- Jun 16, 18:00
Chautauqua Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 13 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 237 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 15, 01:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 17, 06:00
- Baseline Return
- Jun 17, 02:00
Eighteen Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 15 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 664 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 15, 01:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 18, 03:00
- Baseline Return
- Jun 17, 23:00
Huron River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 67 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 339 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 15, 04:00
Black River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 200 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 14, 21:15
Euclid Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 354 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 14, 21:43
Canadaway Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 11 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 105 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 15, 04:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 16, 22:00
- Baseline Return
- Jun 16, 18:00
Silver Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 9 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 50 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 15, 06:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 17, 01:00
- Baseline Return
- Jun 16, 21:00
Buffalo Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 51 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 731 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 15, 01:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 17, 09:00
- Baseline Return
- Jun 17, 05:00
Cazenovia Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 66 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 696 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 15, 03:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 17, 15:00
- Baseline Return
- Jun 17, 11:00
Salmon River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 256 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 295 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 17, 20:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 18, 01:00
- Baseline Return
- Jun 17, 21:00
Oak Orchard Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 448 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,330 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 14, 23:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 15, 04:00
- Baseline Return
- Jun 15, 00:00
Genesee River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 1,210 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 4,030 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 15, 17:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 15, 22:00
- Baseline Return
- Jun 15, 18:00
Sandy Creek (Hamlin)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 63 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 268 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 15, 02:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 17, 13:00
- Baseline Return
- Jun 17, 09:00
Irondequoit Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 86 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 512 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 15, 01:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 16, 23:00
- Baseline Return
- Jun 16, 19:00
Johnson Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 74 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 359 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 15, 00:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 17, 01:00
- Baseline Return
- Jun 16, 21:00
Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 58 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 258 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 15, 06:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 17, 07:00
- Baseline Return
- Jun 17, 03:00
Black River (Watertown)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 1,646 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 2,430 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 15, 20:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 16, 01:00
- Baseline Return
- Jun 15, 21:00
Sandy Creek (Adams)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 45 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 354 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 15, 08:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 18, 07:00
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:
