“Peak measured wind gust of 60 mph with numerous tree branches larger than 6 inches in diameter downed. (LOT)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Hail in Aurora Jul 3, 2026
Hit 31 days agoBoth radar surfaces caught this storm: NEXRAD logged 37 hail signatures up to 1.5", and the radar-estimated size reached 0.5" aloft.
1.5"
≈ ping-pong ball · the largest NEXRAD radar signature30,453
1
1 windThe 2nd most severe storm Aurora has seen in the last 12 months
Overview's storm severity score weighs hailstone size, homes in the footprint, and ground-truth reports.
- Hail size
- 38 /100
- Homes exposed
- 90 /100
- Ground truth
- 17 /100
Largest hailstone — the top predictor of roof damage.
How many homes sit inside the storm's footprint.
Independent storm reports filed with the NWS.
How Aurora saw the hail — from two instruments
Each storm gets two readings: the radar signatures NEXRAD recorded as the cells passed overhead, and a modeled estimate of hail size in the air. They are independent surfaces, so a mismatch between them is expected — and worth reading.
The point detections NEXRAD recorded overhead. Each signature marks where the radar saw hail aloft — it is a detection, not a stone measured on the ground.
Radar-estimated hail size over the swath. The model reports the biggest stone the storm could sustain in the air; what actually fell may have been smaller.
Where Jul 3, 2026 sits in Aurora's hail record
This was Aurora's 4th recorded hail day, arriving 1 day after the Jul 2, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 2nd of the 5 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Aurora at 1.5" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The Jul 3, 2026 convective day was bigger than Aurora: the same system put hail over 1,885 other tracked cities, 215 of them in Illinois. Nearest: North Aurora (5 miles west, up to 1.25"); Naperville (5 miles east, up to 1"); Oswego (7 miles south, up to 1.5").
These maps are stills from Aurora's Jul 3, 2026 storm. In the Overview app the same surfaces are live — radar updating in real time, radar-estimated hail size as it forms, and NWS spotter reports pinned where they're filed — with a radar replay you can scrub back over any past day.
What people on the ground reported
These are storm reports filed with the National Weather Service and released through the NOAA Storm Prediction Center — public-domain observations from spotters, the public, and NWS surveys. We quote each one exactly as filed.
Wind reports
1 reportHow the storm moved
Reports came from North Aurora — beyond Aurora itself.
What 1.5" hail means for Aurora roofs
At an inch and a half, hail cracks shingles, strips granules down to the mat, and dents gutters, vents, and siding. A footprint like this typically produces a wave of insurance claims — and the contractor who reaches the homeowner first usually gets the inspection.
$365M
Potential roof exposure — 30,453 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.Track hail over Aurora on the live map
Radar updates in real time, spotter reports appear on the map as they're filed, and the full Aurora storm history — this Jul 3, 2026 storm included — sits underneath. When you're ready, draw this storm's footprint and pull highly accurate homeowner contact information for every address inside it.
Highly accurate contact information starting at $0.23 per address — every contact included. Digital leads cost $15–$40. Start with a 7-day free trial — no credit card required. See pricing
5 recorded storm days in Aurora, IL
Other storms in Aurora
Jul 27, 2026
1.5"
Jul 2, 2026
1"
Jun 10, 2026
0.75"
Mar 30, 2026
1.75"