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Hail dates in Franklin County, Illinois
The National Weather Service has recorded hail in Franklin County on 20 days since 2016 (29 separate reports, 23 of them quarter-size or larger). The largest stone on record was 3.00" (tea cup) on February 28, 2017; the most recent hail was April 27, 2026. Every row below is an official NWS record. Check hail at your exact address, free →
Every hail day in Franklin 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-27 | 1.00" (quarter) | 2 | Hail measured to quarter size fell on the southwest side of Christopher. |
| 2025-09-14 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | Hail up to the size of quarters was reported on the west side of Benton. |
| 2025-05-16 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | Estimated hail size, reported via mPING, from the north end of a supercell storm. |
| 2025-03-30 | 1.50" (ping pong ball) | 3 | Hail ranging in size from nickels to ping pong balls fell around Sesser. |
| 2024-05-08 | 1.75" (golf ball) | 1 | Golf ball size hail was reported on Yellow Banks Rd south of Christopher. Hail estimated to quarter size was reported via mPING in Buckner. Dime size hail wa… |
| 2024-02-10 | 1.00" (quarter) | 2 | Emergency management reported pea to quarter size hail covering the ground in Christopher. Media reported similar hail sizes in Buckner as well from the same… |
| 2023-07-01 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | — |
| 2023-06-30 | 1.75" (golf ball) | 2 | — |
| 2023-05-07 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | Quarter-size hail was reported in Sesser. |
| 2021-04-09 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | — |
| 2020-03-12 | 2.00" (hen egg) | 3 | There were multiple reports of large hail ranging from one to two inches in diameter in the Royalton and Zeigler areas. |
| 2019-10-21 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | — |
| 2019-06-26 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | — |
| 2018-06-28 | 0.88" (nickel) | 1 | — |
| 2017-11-02 | 0.88" (nickel) | 1 | — |
| 2017-09-04 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | — |
| 2017-05-18 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | The hail was mostly the size of dimes, with a few quarter-size hailstones mixed in. |
| 2017-02-28 | 3.00" (tea cup) | 1 | This large hail was associated with the supercell that produced a strong tornado in Jackson and western Franklin Counties. Hailstones were slightly larger th… |
| 2016-05-11 | 1.50" (ping pong ball) | 3 | These ping-pong ball size hailstones were photographed. |
| 2016-04-26 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | — |
Hail days by year
| Year | Hail days | Reports | Largest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 2 | 1.00" (quarter) |
| 2025 | 3 | 5 | 1.50" (ping pong ball) |
| 2024 | 2 | 3 | 1.75" (golf ball) |
| 2023 | 3 | 4 | 1.75" (golf ball) |
| 2021 | 1 | 1 | 1.00" (quarter) |
| 2020 | 1 | 3 | 2.00" (hen egg) |
| 2019 | 2 | 2 | 1.00" (quarter) |
| 2018 | 1 | 1 | 0.88" (nickel) |
| 2017 | 4 | 4 | 3.00" (tea cup) |
| 2016 | 2 | 4 | 1.50" (ping pong ball) |
Damaging wind in Franklin County
Thunderstorm wind of 58 mph or more (the NWS severe threshold), 43 reports since 2016, strongest 96 mph. 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-10-19 | 96 mph | 2 | A large tree limb was snapped and fell onto the roof of a house in Christopher. |
| 2016-07-13 | 85 mph | 2 | A damaging microburst with peak winds to 85 mph struck northern Franklin County, including the Rend Lake area. The microburst path length… |
| 2025-09-14 | 81 mph | 2 | A powerful storm tracked southward through Franklin County. The worst of the damage was at the South Marcum Campground on Rend Lake where… |
| 2024-05-26 | 81 mph | 2 | Trees were downed and a few power poles snapped in West Frankfort as a thunderstorm line moved through Franklin County. |
| 2021-12-05 | 81 mph | 2 | Trees were snapped. The tin roof on top of a conventional roof of a house was blown off. |
| 2024-07-30 | 75 mph | 3 | Trees and power lines were downed in Benton. |
| 2024-07-11 | 75 mph | 2 | According to several public reports on social media including pictures, widespread wind damage occurred with several trees and power line… |
| 2022-07-08 | 75 mph | 1 | A large tree came down on a power line. Several limbs were down throughout town. |
Was hail recorded at your Franklin 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.
Need it in writing for a claim?
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10-year hail history for one address + the disputed-date finding.
15-year window, wind & tornado records, plus a drafted claim-appeal letter.
Questions
What date did hail last hit Franklin County?
April 27, 2026, per the NWS Storm Events record. The largest since 2016 was 3.00" (tea cup) on February 28, 2017.
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
Williamson County, IL (16 mi) · Perry County, IL (20 mi) · Jackson County, IL (23 mi) · Saline County, IL (27 mi) · Randolph County, IL (51 mi) · Clay County, IL (56 mi) · Cape Girardeau County, MO (57 mi) · McCracken County, KY (66 mi)
See also: Illinois hail history by city · all counties