HailHistoryHail by county › Illinois

Illinois · 102 counties

Hail history in Illinois

Illinois has 12,181 recorded hail events in the NOAA Storm Events Database since 1950 — 7,401 of them 1″ or larger. The largest on record: 6.6″ (grapefruit) in Kankakee County on March 10, 2026.

Recorded events 12,181 since 1950
1″ or larger 7,401 NWS severe threshold
Largest recorded 6.6 grapefruit · Kankakee County
Peak month May most recorded events

When it hails in Illinois

108 Jan 325 Feb 1,337 Mar 2,869 Apr 2,920 May 1,867 Jun 1,020 Jul 824 Aug 430 Sep 238 Oct 201 Nov 42 Dec

All recorded Illinois events by month, 1950–present · data through April 2026.

Every Illinois county, ranked by recorded hail

Recorded hail events per county · NOAA Storm Events Database · through April 2026
County Events ≥1″ Largest Most recent
Cook County 643 440 2.75″ 2026
Will County 359 207 3.0″ 2026
St. Clair County 319 198 3.5″ 2026
Sangamon County 314 183 3.25″ 2026
Madison County 310 205 3.75″ 2026
DuPage County 255 155 4.8″ 2026
McLean County 245 132 4.5″ 2026
Peoria County 235 147 2.75″ 2026
Champaign County 234 133 4.25″ 2026
Macoupin County 233 139 3.0″ 2026
Tazewell County 232 137 3.0″ 2026
Kane County 222 152 2.75″ 2026
Henry County 217 118 3.0″ 2026
Winnebago County 215 152 3.0″ 2026
Fulton County 210 130 4.0″ 2026
Vermilion County 202 116 3.5″ 2026
McDonough County 196 118 4.0″ 2024
McHenry County 192 112 2.75″ 2026
Adams County 191 115 4.5″ 2025
Lake County 185 115 2.75″ 2025
Hancock County 175 114 3.0″ 2024
LaSalle County 175 111 3.75″ 2026
Randolph County 173 89 4.0″ 2025
Whiteside County 163 83 2.0″ 2026
Bureau County 157 108 4.0″ 2026
Rock Island County 152 90 3.0″ 2026
Macon County 150 93 3.5″ 2026
Jackson County 148 92 3.0″ 2025
Kankakee County 138 93 6.6″ 2026
Woodford County 137 78 4.0″ 2026
Logan County 136 80 3.75″ 2025
Montgomery County 136 78 4.5″ 2026
Stephenson County 135 82 3.0″ 2026
Washington County 134 82 4.5″ 2025
Monroe County 120 74 2.75″ 2026
Williamson County 120 60 3.0″ 2025
Morgan County 117 75 4.0″ 2025
Coles County 116 64 2.5″ 2026
Lee County 115 73 4.0″ 2026
Franklin County 114 69 3.0″ 2025
Knox County 114 68 4.5″ 2024
Jo Daviess County 113 73 2.5″ 2026
Christian County 112 77 2.75″ 2026
Ogle County 104 61 3.0″ 2026
Marion County 100 64 3.5″ 2025
Livingston County 97 73 5.5″ 2026
Clinton County 96 64 3.0″ 2025
Mercer County 96 59 2.5″ 2026
Pike County 92 61 2.75″ 2025
Jefferson County 91 50 3.5″ 2025
Kendall County 91 66 4.75″ 2026
DeKalb County 88 53 2.75″ 2026
Johnson County 87 51 3.0″ 2024
Effingham County 86 52 3.0″ 2026
Jersey County 85 52 2.5″ 2026
Clay County 81 46 3.5″ 2026
Menard County 79 48 2.5″ 2025
Saline County 78 34 3.5″ 2025
Carroll County 75 41 3.0″ 2026
Grundy County 75 46 2.75″ 2024
Perry County 75 40 1.75″ 2025
Warren County 75 43 1.75″ 2024
Edgar County 73 51 3.0″ 2024
Iroquois County 73 53 3.0″ 2024
Douglas County 72 45 4.5″ 2025
Wayne County 72 39 2.75″ 2024
Crawford County 69 35 3.0″ 2026
Lawrence County 67 36 2.75″ 2025
Henderson County 66 32 4.5″ 2026
Boone County 65 49 2.0″ 2026
De Witt County 65 36 2.75″ 2025
Fayette County 65 45 2.75″ 2026
Shelby County 65 39 4.5″ 2026
Clark County 64 43 2.5″ 2026
Putnam County 64 36 1.75″ 2026
White County 64 32 2.75″ 2024
Jasper County 60 43 2.75″ 2026
Marshall County 60 35 2.75″ 2026
Greene County 58 35 2.75″ 2024
Piatt County 57 30 4.0″ 2025
Cass County 56 32 2.75″ 2026
Wabash County 56 27 2.75″ 2025
Mason County 55 38 2.75″ 2026
Union County 55 27 2.75″ 2024
Pulaski County 54 27 2.75″ 2025
Schuyler County 54 34 4.5″ 2026
Alexander County 52 27 2.5″ 2025
Brown County 52 33 2.75″ 2024
Massac County 52 27 3.0″ 2025
Bond County 51 31 3.0″ 2026
Ford County 47 35 2.5″ 2025
Moultrie County 46 34 2.0″ 2026
Richland County 46 28 2.0″ 2024
Hamilton County 44 23 2.0″ 2024
Stark County 44 21 3.0″ 2024
Scott County 41 25 1.75″ 2024
Cumberland County 39 28 2.5″ 2026
Edwards County 37 19 2.75″ 2023
Pope County 34 12 2.0″ 2023
Calhoun County 32 21 2.75″ 2023
Gallatin County 31 16 2.5″ 2023
Hardin County 14 8 2.0″ 2020
Read the record honestly: Storm Events contains what was reported to the National Weather Service. Populated counties report more; rural counties under-report. County-to-county comparisons say as much about reporting as about weather.

Questions about hail in Illinois

How often does it hail in Illinois?

The NOAA Storm Events Database records 12,181 hail events for Illinois since 1950, 7,401 of them 1″ (quarter size) or larger. Recorded frequency varies sharply by county — the table on this page ranks all 102.

What is the largest hail ever recorded in Illinois?

6.6″ (grapefruit), recorded in Kankakee County on March 10, 2026. See it at true size on the actual-size hail chart.

When is hail season in Illinois?

Recorded events peak in May. The by-month chart on this page shows the full seasonal shape — and each county page carries its own, since timing shifts across the state.

How do I check hail history for my address in Illinois?

Storm Events records events at the county level, so pick your county below or use the ZIP lookup. For "did it hail on this date" claim questions, the date lookup searches every recorded Illinois event.

Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, public domain. Each county page shows the full event timeline, month profile, and storm-report narratives.