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Hail dates in Cook County, Illinois
The National Weather Service has recorded hail in Cook County on 51 days since 2016 (182 separate reports, 165 of them quarter-size or larger). The largest stone on record was 2.75" (baseball) on April 7, 2020; the most recent hail was April 14, 2026. Every row below is an official NWS record. Check hail at your exact address, free →
Every hail day in Cook County since 2016
One row per day the NWS logged hail somewhere in the county. The narrative names the town; the free check below narrows it to your address.
| Date | Largest hail | Reports | NWS narrative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-14 | 1.00" (quarter) | 2 | — |
| 2026-03-30 | 2.00" (hen egg) | 8 | — |
| 2026-03-26 | 1.00" (quarter) | 3 | — |
| 2026-03-10 | 2.00" (hen egg) | 5 | A few 1 to 2 inch hail reports came out of LaGrange and Brookfield. |
| 2025-09-21 | 1.25" (half dollar) | 1 | A photo showed hail 1 to 1.25 inches in diameter. |
| 2025-08-16 | 1.25" (half dollar) | 6 | — |
| 2025-05-15 | 1.25" (half dollar) | 3 | — |
| 2025-03-19 | 1.00" (quarter) | 3 | — |
| 2024-08-27 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | — |
| 2024-08-05 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | — |
| 2024-05-20 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | — |
| 2024-05-07 | 2.00" (hen egg) | 18 | — |
| 2024-05-02 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | — |
| 2024-03-04 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | — |
| 2024-02-27 | 2.00" (hen egg) | 11 | A photo shared via social media showed hail in Chicago's Hegeswisch neighborhood. The biggest stones were roughly the size of golf balls. |
| 2024-02-08 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | — |
| 2023-06-29 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | Photos shared on social media showed hail ranging from penny to quarter size. |
| 2023-04-20 | 1.75" (golf ball) | 9 | A photo shared on social media showed hail to the size of walnuts. |
| 2023-04-04 | 1.75" (golf ball) | 27 | Golf ball size hail was reported near Ivory Lane and Spaulding Road. |
| 2023-03-31 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | — |
| 2022-07-22 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | Multiple reports of hail ranging from a half inch to one inch were received from northeast Chicago, including photos shared on social media of quarter size h… |
| 2022-06-13 | 1.00" (quarter) | 4 | Quarter size hail was reported at Route 53 and Lake Cook Road. |
| 2022-02-22 | 0.88" (nickel) | 1 | — |
| 2021-08-24 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | A photo was shared on social media of quarter size hail. |
| 2021-06-12 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | Quarter size hail was reported near Arlington Heights Road and Landmeier Road. |
| 2020-08-23 | 1.25" (half dollar) | 4 | Half dollar size hail was reported near Route 53 and Euclid Avenue. |
| 2020-08-10 | 0.88" (nickel) | 1 | Nickel size hail fell across Glencoe for 10 minutes. |
| 2020-07-07 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | A trained spotter reported several minutes of nickel size hail in Franklin Park which ended as quarter size hail. |
| 2020-06-22 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | — |
| 2020-06-10 | 2.00" (hen egg) | 2 | Wind blown hail up to 2 inches in diameter lasted for 5 minutes and shattered a wind shield along Sauk Trail between Sauk Village and Dyer. |
| 2020-04-07 | 2.75" (baseball) | 6 | Multiple reports of golf ball to baseball size hail were received from Evanston. |
| 2019-06-28 | 1.75" (golf ball) | 5 | — |
| 2019-06-26 | 2.00" (hen egg) | 2 | — |
| 2019-06-25 | 1.00" (quarter) | 2 | — |
| 2019-06-01 | 1.50" (ping pong ball) | 7 | — |
| 2019-05-27 | 1.50" (ping pong ball) | 3 | Hail was estimated between 1 and 1.5 inch diameter. |
| 2019-05-17 | 1.50" (ping pong ball) | 1 | — |
| 2019-05-16 | 0.75" (penny) | 1 | — |
| 2018-12-01 | 0.75" (penny) | 1 | — |
| 2018-05-14 | 0.75" (penny) | 1 | — |
| 2018-05-02 | 1.00" (quarter) | 2 | Quarter size hail was reported in Summit. |
| 2017-07-23 | 0.88" (nickel) | 1 | — |
| 2017-07-21 | 1.25" (half dollar) | 3 | — |
| 2017-07-12 | 0.75" (penny) | 2 | — |
| 2017-07-07 | 1.50" (ping pong ball) | 4 | Penny to half dollar size hail was reported. |
| 2017-04-10 | 1.00" (quarter) | 3 | — |
| 2017-03-20 | 1.00" (quarter) | 4 | — |
| 2017-02-28 | 1.75" (golf ball) | 6 | Nickel size hail was reported at the Lansing Municipal Airport. |
| 2017-02-24 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | — |
| 2016-07-24 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | Hail near Buena Park. |
| 2016-04-25 | 1.00" (quarter) | 5 | Quarter size hail was reported near the intersection of Montrose and Ottawa. |
Hail days by year
| Year | Hail days | Reports | Largest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4 | 18 | 2.00" (hen egg) |
| 2025 | 4 | 13 | 1.25" (half dollar) |
| 2024 | 8 | 35 | 2.00" (hen egg) |
| 2023 | 4 | 38 | 1.75" (golf ball) |
| 2022 | 3 | 6 | 1.00" (quarter) |
| 2021 | 2 | 2 | 1.00" (quarter) |
| 2020 | 6 | 15 | 2.75" (baseball) |
| 2019 | 7 | 21 | 2.00" (hen egg) |
| 2018 | 3 | 4 | 1.00" (quarter) |
| 2017 | 8 | 24 | 1.75" (golf ball) |
| 2016 | 2 | 6 | 1.00" (quarter) |
Damaging wind in Cook County
Thunderstorm wind of 58 mph or more (the NWS severe threshold), 767 reports since 2016, strongest 96 mph. 35 tornadoes recorded in the county in the same period. Wind and tornado records are included in the extended report.
| Date | Peak gust | Reports | NWS narrative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-06-13 | 96 mph | 48 | A large section of the roof of an apartment building was peeled off, exposing numerous apartments at the corner of 24th Avenue and Washin… |
| 2020-08-10 | 96 mph | 38 | A corridor of significant wind damage occurred in Chicago, starting immediately east of Interstate 90/94 near Berteau and Kildare Avenues… |
| 2024-07-15 | 90 mph | 33 | Widespread wind damage occurred to trees, utility poles and power lines in Lansing. Numerous trees were uprooted or snapped. Many roads… |
| 2017-07-21 | 90 mph | 1 | Many trees were blown down with some snapped at their base. Based on radar and damage photos, it appears a microburst occurred with wind … |
| 2026-06-11 | 85 mph | 41 | A wind gust to 85 mph was measured. |
| 2024-02-27 | 82 mph | 12 | A private weather station, KILPALAT112, reported a 82 mph gust northwest of Palatine. |
| 2026-06-24 | 81 mph | 9 | Multiple photos and videos showed trees blown down, some uprooted, others snapped across the Streamwood area. At least one tree fell on a… |
| 2026-06-10 | 81 mph | 66 | The roof of a five story apartment building was torn off. Debris was blown into nearby parking lots and roadways. |
Was hail recorded at your Cook County address? Check free
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Address lookup by the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder. Records: NOAA NCEI Storm Events (final) plus SPC preliminary reports for storms newer than the latest compile — see methodology.
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10-year hail history for one address + the disputed-date finding.
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Questions
What date did hail last hit Cook County?
April 14, 2026, per the NWS Storm Events record. The largest since 2016 was 2.75" (baseball) on April 7, 2020.
Does a county record prove hail at my house?
No. NWS records are point and path observations. The absence of a nearby report does NOT prove that no hail fell at this address — it means no observation was logged nearby. A report of nearby hail documents the event; it does not by itself prove damage to a specific structure. The free check above shows what was recorded near your specific address, with distances.
Nearby counties
Du Page County, IL (13 mi) · Will County, IL (25 mi) · Kane County, IL (27 mi) · Lake County, IL (30 mi) · Kendall County, IL (33 mi) · Lake County, IN (36 mi) · McHenry County, IL (40 mi) · Porter County, IN (46 mi)
See also: Illinois hail history by city · all counties