Sat July 4 Alley Storm
Jul 4 Alley front -- 0.4" delivered, Johnson Creek peaked +4hrs as expected.
Meteorological Analysis
A moderate storm system rolled through the Steelhead Alley region starting on Saturday, July 4, 2026 and lasting until Saturday, July 4, 2026. The storm was active for approximately 2 hours, dumping a maximum of 0.42" 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 Eighteen Mile Creek (peaking at 11 CFS), Buffalo Creek (peaking at 45 CFS), Cazenovia Creek (peaking at 34 CFS), Silver Creek (peaking at 3 CFS), Cattaraugus Creek (peaking at 201 CFS), Chautauqua Creek (peaking at 10 CFS), Canadaway Creek (peaking at 7 CFS), Irondequoit Creek (peaking at 74 CFS), Ashtabula River (peaking at 15 CFS), Rocky River near Berea (peaking at 89 CFS), Conneaut Creek (peaking at 19 CFS), Vermilion River @ Vermilion (peaking at 38 CFS), Grand River near Painesville (peaking at 43 CFS), Cuyahoga River @ Independence (peaking at 978 CFS), Brandy Run near Girard (peaking at 1 CFS), Elk Creek (peaking at 22 CFS), Walnut Creek (peaking at 24 CFS), Twenty Mile Creek (peaking at 36 CFS), Crooked Creek (peaking at 10 CFS), Huron River (peaking at 64 CFS), Black River (peaking at 23 CFS), Euclid Creek (peaking at 368 CFS), Chagrin River @ Willoughby (peaking at 9 CFS), Salmon River (peaking at 496 CFS), Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara) (peaking at 100 CFS), Sandy Creek (Hamlin) (peaking at 50 CFS), Black River (Watertown) (peaking at 2,540 CFS), Sandy Creek (Adams) (peaking at 171 CFS), Oak Orchard Creek (peaking at 1,080 CFS), Genesee River (peaking at 794 CFS), Johnson Creek (peaking at 83 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 'A'. 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
Eighteen Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 11 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 00:45
Buffalo Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 45 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 02:00
Cazenovia Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 34 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 00:00
Silver Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 3 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 02:00
Cattaraugus Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 201 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 01:00
Chautauqua Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 10 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 00:00
Canadaway Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 7 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 00:00
Irondequoit Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 74 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 00:45
Ashtabula River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 15 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 01:45
Rocky River near Berea
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 89 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 02:00
Conneaut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 19 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 00:00
Vermilion River @ Vermilion
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 38 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 02:00
Grand River near Painesville
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 43 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 02:00
Cuyahoga River @ Independence
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 330 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 978 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 17:00
Brandy Run near Girard
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 00:00
Elk Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 22 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 01:30
Walnut Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 24 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 01:15
Twenty Mile Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 36 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 01:45
Crooked Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 10 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 01:15
Huron River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 64 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 01:30
Black River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 23 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 02:00
Euclid Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 7 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 368 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 02:00
Chagrin River @ Willoughby
- Pre-Storm Flow
- 9 CFS
- Observed Peak
- 9 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 05:00
- Baseline Return
- Jul 4, 06:00
Salmon River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 496 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 00:00
Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 100 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 02:00
- Recovers By
- Jul 4, 05:34
Sandy Creek (Hamlin)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 50 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 00:15
Black River (Watertown)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 2,540 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 00:00
Sandy Creek (Adams)
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 171 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 00:00
Oak Orchard Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 1,080 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 01:15
Genesee River
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 794 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 01:00
Johnson Creek
- Pre-Storm Flow
- N/A
- Observed Peak
- 83 CFS
- Peak Time
- Jul 4, 01:15
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:
