Hail in Chicago since 2016
The Storm Prediction Center logged 645 hail reports in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will and Kendall counties from January 1, 2016 to September 27, 2026, on 84 different days. The largest was 4.80 inches, at Darien on March 10, 2026. The busiest day was April 4, 2023, with 84 reports.
Hail reports by year
2026 had the most reports (174). The 2026 count runs through September 27, 2026. Report counts rise and fall with how many people were watching and reporting, not only with how much hail fell.
Which months bring hail to Chicago
April, March and July account for 58% of the reports.
How big the hail was
| Reported size | For scale, the NWS compares it to | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.00 to 1.74 in | quarter, half dollar, ping pong ball | 518 | 80.3% |
| 1.75 to 2.49 in | golf ball, hen egg | 98 | 15.2% |
| 2.50 to 3.99 in | tennis ball, baseball, teacup | 26 | 4.0% |
| 4.00 in and up | softball or larger | 3 | 0.5% |
The largest hail reported
| Date | Size | Place | NWS comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 10, 2026 5:47 pm CDT | 4.80 in | Darien, DuPage Co. | Photo shared to office email account of hailstone measuring 4.8 inches in diameter near the intersection of 75th Street and Cass Ave in Darien. Time estimated by radar. (LOT) |
| March 10, 2026 5:51 pm CDT | 4.00 in | 1 S Downers Grove, DuPage Co. | Photo shows multiple large hail stones retrieved from near 63rd Street and Main Street in Downers Grove. Largest hail stone broke into 3 pieces during measurement... wi (LOT) |
| March 10, 2026 5:53 pm CDT | 4.00 in | 1 S Westmont, DuPage Co. | Photo shared on social media showing largest hailstones approximately 4 inches in diameter in Westmont. (LOT) |
| March 10, 2026 5:46 pm CDT | 3.75 in | 1 NW Darien, DuPage Co. | Photo shared to social media shows 3.75 inch hail on Washington Street in Darien. Time estimated by radar. (LOT) |
| March 10, 2026 5:42 pm CDT | 3.25 in | 2 ENE Woodridge, DuPage Co. | (LOT) |
| April 4, 2023 1:04 pm CDT | 3.00 in | 2 NNW Oswego, Kendall Co. | DOLORES STREET AND CHARLES COURT IN OSWEGO. VIA TWITTER. (LOT) |
| March 10, 2026 5:32 pm CDT | 3.00 in | Bolingbrook, Will Co. | Photo shared of hail measuring just over 3 inches in diameter in Bolingbrook. Time estimated by radar. (LOT) |
| March 10, 2026 5:35 pm CDT | 3.00 in | 2 S Woodridge, DuPage Co. | delayed report. (LOT) |
| March 10, 2026 5:37 pm CDT | 3.00 in | 1 SW Woodridge, DuPage Co. | 3 inch diameter hail in southern Woodridge. Relayed via mping. Time estimated by radar. (LOT) |
| March 10, 2026 5:55 pm CDT | 3.00 in | 1 ESE Woodridge, DuPage Co. | Photo shared of hail measuring 3 inches in diameter near intersection of 75th Street and Interstate 355. (LOT) |
The days with the most hail reports
| Date | Reports | Largest | Counties with reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 4, 2023 | 84 | 3.00 in | Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry and Will |
| July 27, 2026 | 58 | 3.00 in | Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake and Will |
| March 10, 2026 | 52 | 4.80 in | Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will |
| February 27, 2024 | 31 | 2.50 in | Cook, DuPage, Kane, McHenry and Will |
| May 7, 2024 | 31 | 2.00 in | Cook and Will |
| March 30, 2026 | 29 | 2.00 in | Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will |
| May 27, 2019 | 16 | 2.00 in | Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will |
| May 15, 2025 | 16 | 2.00 in | Cook, DuPage and Lake |
| June 8, 2025 | 16 | 2.50 in | Kane |
| April 25, 2016 | 15 | 1.75 in | Cook, Kane, Lake and McHenry |
Storm dates in Chicago with their own page
Every local date since January 1, 2021 with 5 or more spotter hail reports in the metro. Each page lists the reports and what radar recorded.
2026
- March 10, 2026 52 reports, up to 4.80 in
- March 26, 2026 5 reports, up to 1.00 in
- March 30, 2026 29 reports, up to 2.00 in
- March 31, 2026 11 reports, up to 1.75 in
- April 14, 2026 6 reports, up to 1.00 in
- June 24, 2026 7 reports, up to 1.50 in
- July 27, 2026 58 reports, up to 3.00 in
2025
- May 15, 2025 16 reports, up to 2.00 in
- June 8, 2025 16 reports, up to 2.50 in
- August 16, 2025 11 reports, up to 1.50 in
2024
- February 27, 2024 31 reports, up to 2.50 in
- May 7, 2024 31 reports, up to 2.00 in
- August 27, 2024 10 reports, up to 2.50 in
2023
- March 26, 2023 5 reports, up to 1.25 in
- April 4, 2023 84 reports, up to 3.00 in
- April 19, 2023 10 reports, up to 1.75 in
- April 20, 2023 14 reports, up to 1.75 in
- July 28, 2023 8 reports, up to 1.75 in
2022
- July 23, 2022 12 reports, up to 1.75 in
2021
- September 7, 2021 7 reports, up to 1.50 in
Check your own address in Chicago
Enter the address and the date of the storm. The free check counts NOAA radar hail signatures within 1, 3 and 5 miles and finds the nearest spotter report.
Counts are Storm Prediction Center hail reports from January 1, 2016 to September 27, 2026 whose coordinates fall inside Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will and Kendall counties. The daily logs are preliminary, and a storm nobody reported is missing from them. Radar signatures, which do not depend on anyone watching, appear on each storm-date page and in the address report. How these pages are built.