Hail in Chicago · Apr 17, 2026
NEXRAD logged 0 hail signatures up to 0"; the estimated-size surface reached 0" aloft. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
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Convective day · Apr 17, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 6th most severe storm Chicago has seen in the last 12 months
Overview's storm severity score weighs hailstone size, homes in the footprint, and ground-truth reports.
- Peak hail signal
- 0 /100
- Homes exposed
- 0 /100
- Ground truth
- 0 /100
Largest radar-indicated size — a signal of damage potential, not confirmation.
How many homes sit inside the storm's footprint.
Independent storm reports filed with the NWS.
Evidence / storm surfaces
How Chicago saw the hail — from two instruments
The maps here read the same storm from two angles — point detections from NEXRAD, and modeled hail size aloft. Where the two disagree is informative: it marks where estimated size outran the signatures, or trailed them.
Radar signature field Where NEXRAD flagged hail as the storm passed — point signatures from the radar, which indicate hail overhead rather than confirm what landed.
Estimated size field The modeled maximum hail size across the swath, derived from radar aloft — the largest stone the storm could have supported, which is not necessarily what reached the ground.
The storm in context
Where Apr 17, 2026 sits in Chicago's hail record.
This was Chicago's 2nd recorded hail day, arriving 18 days after the Mar 30, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 6th of the 7 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Chicago at 0" — radar-estimated size aloft.
The Apr 17, 2026 convective day was bigger than Chicago: the same system put hail over 1,016 other tracked cities, 101 of them in Illinois. Nearest: Naperville (28 miles west, up to 0"); Dyer (30 miles south, up to 0"); Grayslake (34 miles northwest, up to 0").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 7 Chicago storm dates on a live map — both surfaces, the reports, and a replay — and the same map is where you draw the swath. This page rebuilds nightly.
Ground reports
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.
Nobody on the ground filed a report over Chicago for this date, which says more about who was watching than about the storm: spotter reports only exist where there is an observer. The radar surfaces above carry the evidence for this one.
Below the severe threshold
What 0" hail means for Chicago roofs.
Radar signals under three-quarters of an inch stay below the National Weather Service severe threshold and generally indicate lower roof risk. Older or already-worn materials can still show effects, but radar alone cannot determine whether a specific roof was damaged.
Radar reading · not confirmed damage
Chicago hail history
Other storms in Chicago.
Estimated-size surface Aug 9, 2026
0.5"
Estimated-size surface Jul 27, 2026
2.75"
Estimated-size surface Jul 3, 2026
1.5"
Estimated-size surface Jul 2, 2026
Estimated-size surface Jun 24, 2026
0.75"
Estimated-size surface Mar 30, 2026
1"The next storm won’t wait for you.
Set your territory and alerts today. When hail hits, use Overview to choose your streets and get moving.
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