Thu June 25-26 Alley Storm
Jun 25-26 severe storm -- 1.1" 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 Thursday, June 25, 2026 and lasting until Friday, June 26, 2026. The storm was active for approximately 22 hours, dumping a maximum of 1.05" 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 Chagrin River @ Willoughby (peaking at 127 CFS), Eighteen Mile Creek (peaking at 130 CFS), Ashtabula River (peaking at 88 CFS), Vermilion River @ Vermilion (peaking at 151 CFS), Black River (peaking at 159 CFS), Huron River (peaking at 154 CFS), Conneaut Creek (peaking at 113 CFS), Brandy Run near Girard (peaking at 2 CFS), Elk Creek (peaking at 22 CFS), Crooked Creek (peaking at 10 CFS), Cuyahoga River @ Independence (peaking at 545 CFS), Sandy Creek (Hamlin) (peaking at 92 CFS), Irondequoit Creek (peaking at 192 CFS), Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara) (peaking at 175 CFS), Cattaraugus Creek (peaking at 519 CFS), Silver Creek (peaking at 26 CFS), Salmon River (peaking at 244 CFS), Black River (Watertown) (peaking at 2,660 CFS), Sandy Creek (Adams) (peaking at 142 CFS), Rocky River near Berea (peaking at 141 CFS), Grand River near Painesville (peaking at 151 CFS), Walnut Creek (peaking at 26 CFS), Twenty Mile Creek (peaking at 39 CFS), Chautauqua Creek (peaking at 26 CFS), Euclid Creek (peaking at 10 CFS), Canadaway Creek (peaking at 62 CFS), Buffalo Creek (peaking at 194 CFS), Cazenovia Creek (peaking at 261 CFS), Genesee River (peaking at 2,070 CFS), Oak Orchard Creek (peaking at 1,020 CFS), Johnson Creek (peaking at 113 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
Chagrin River @ Willoughby
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 127 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 25, 11:30
- Recovers By
- Jun 25, 11:04
Eighteen Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 26 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 130 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 26, 00:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 25, 12:04
- Baseline Return
- Jun 27, 08:00
Ashtabula River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 88 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 25, 11:15
- Recovers By
- Jun 25, 12:04
Vermilion River @ Vermilion
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 151 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 25, 11:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 25, 11:04
Black River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 136 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 159 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 25, 23:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 25, 11:04
- Baseline Return
- Jun 26, 00:00
Huron River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 154 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 26, 01:00
Conneaut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 113 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 25, 11:00
Brandy Run near Girard
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 2 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 25, 11:00
Elk Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 22 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 26, 05:00
Crooked Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 10 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 26, 06:15
Cuyahoga River @ Independence
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 418 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 545 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 26, 05:00
- Baseline Return
- Jun 26, 06:00
Sandy Creek (Hamlin)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 73 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 92 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 26, 16:00
- Baseline Return
- Jun 26, 17:00
Irondequoit Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 92 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 192 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 26, 01:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 27, 05:49
- Baseline Return
- Jun 26, 14:00
Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 102 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 175 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 26, 11:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 28, 05:49
- Baseline Return
- Jun 27, 06:00
Cattaraugus Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 519 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 26, 04:00
Silver Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 26 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 25, 16:45
Salmon River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 237 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 244 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 25, 21:00
- Baseline Return
- Jun 25, 22:00
Black River (Watertown)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 2,660 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 25, 20:45
Sandy Creek (Adams)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 70 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 142 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 26, 23:00
- Baseline Return
- Jun 28, 01:00
Rocky River near Berea
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 141 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 26, 02:45
Grand River near Painesville
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 151 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 25, 11:00
Walnut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 17 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 26 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 26, 04:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 26, 06:05
- Baseline Return
- Jun 26, 05:00
Twenty Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 39 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 26, 05:00
Chautauqua Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 26 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 26, 08:45
Euclid Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 10 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 26, 08:13
Canadaway Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 62 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 26, 04:00
Buffalo Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 63 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 194 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 25, 23:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 28, 05:49
- Baseline Return
- Jun 27, 09:00
Cazenovia Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 103 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 261 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 26, 04:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 27, 05:49
- Baseline Return
- Jun 26, 23:00
Genesee River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 2,032 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 2,070 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 25, 19:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 25, 15:33
- Baseline Return
- Jun 25, 20:00
Oak Orchard Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 521 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 1,020 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 26, 08:00
- Recovers By
- Jun 25, 11:34
- Baseline Return
- Jun 26, 09:00
Johnson Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 43 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 113 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jun 26, 06:00
- Baseline Return
- Jun 26, 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:
