Hail in Des Plaines · Apr 14, 2026
The estimated-size surface reached 0.75" aloft; NEXRAD logged no point detections over Des Plaines that day. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
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Convective day · Apr 14, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The 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.
- Peak hail signal
- 19 /100
- Homes exposed
- 78 /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 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.
Estimated size field 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.
The storm in context
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. In the app this date is one of 3 Des Plaines 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.
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.
Near the severe threshold
What 0.75" hail means for Des Plaines roofs.
A signal this size sits near the National Weather Service severe threshold. Aging shingles and soft metals such as vents, flashing, and gutters may be more vulnerable; roof age, wind, and material condition all matter, and only an inspection can confirm damage.
Radar reading · not confirmed damage
Roofing exposure
What this storm is worth to a roofer.
Potential roof exposure
$95M
Potential roof exposure — 7,942 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
- Illustrative jobs
- 40 jobs
- Illustrative work
- ~$600K
Close just 0.5% of the 7,942 homes in this footprint at the average $15,000 roof job. Illustrative math, not a projection — your results depend on your outreach and how the market responds.
Claim window
April 2028
Claims from this storm can typically be filed until around April 2028 — the window to reach these homeowners while it's still open. Deadlines vary by policy and state.
Names and phones for every home in the footprint: at most $1,668 on top of the $150 plan.
Des Plaines hail history
Other storms in Des Plaines.
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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