Hail in Des Plaines Apr 14, 2026
The radar-estimated size surface caught this storm, reaching 0.75" aloft. NEXRAD logged no point detections over Des Plaines this day.
0.75"
≈ penny to nickel · radar-estimated size aloft7,942
0
none filedThe 2nd most severe storm Des Plaines 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
- 19 /100
- Homes exposed
- 78 /100
- Ground truth
- 0 /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 Des Plaines 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.
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.
Only the radar-estimated size surface resolved for Apr 14, 2026 — this storm produced no NEXRAD point detections over Des Plaines, so there is one map to show, not two.
Where Apr 14, 2026 sits in Des Plaines's hail record
This was Des Plaines's 1st recorded hail day — the first hail day in our records for the city. By severity it ranks 2nd of the 3 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Des Plaines at 0.75" — radar-estimated size aloft.
The Apr 14, 2026 convective day was bigger than Des Plaines: the same system put hail over 476 other tracked cities, 44 of them in Illinois. Nearest: Elk Grove Village (5 miles west, up to 0.75"); Mount Prospect (7 miles north, up to 0.75"); Arlington Heights (9 miles northwest, up to 1").
These maps are stills from Des Plaines's Apr 14, 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.
No ground reports were filed with the National Weather Service for this storm over Des Plaines. That is common: a report depends on someone being there to see it and take the time to call it in. The radar surfaces above are the record here — the storm was detected from above even though no one on the ground logged it.
What 0.75" hail means for Des Plaines roofs
Hail this size sits right at the edge of the National Weather Service severe threshold. Newer roofs usually shrug it off, but aging or already-worn shingles can bruise, and soft metals — vents, flashing, gutters — often show the first dents.
$95M
Potential roof exposure — 7,942 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.Track hail over Des Plaines on the live map
Radar updates in real time, spotter reports appear on the map as they're filed, and the full Des Plaines storm history — this Apr 14, 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
3 recorded storm days in Des Plaines, IL
