The estimated-size surface reached 2" aloft; NEXRAD logged no point detections over Hazel Crest that day. At 2" — tennis ball — this is a severe hail signal associated with roof damage. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
A tornado was also reported to the National Weather Service during this storm. The ground reports below show where it was filed.
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Convective day · Jul 27, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
Overview's storm severity score weighs hailstone size, homes in the footprint, and ground-truth reports.
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
We map this storm two ways: the NEXRAD radar signatures the storm produced overhead, and the radar-estimated size of the hail in the air. The two surfaces don’t have to match — where they diverge is where estimated size aloft ran ahead of, or behind, what the signatures caught.
Estimated size field Maximum hail size as estimated from radar aloft. Treat it as the storm's ceiling — the largest supportable stone — rather than a ground measurement.
Only the radar-estimated size surface resolved for Jul 27, 2026 — this storm produced no NEXRAD point detections over Hazel Crest, so there is one map to show, not two.
The storm in context
This was Hazel Crest's 2nd recorded hail day, arriving 24 days after the Jul 3, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 1st of the 2 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Hazel Crest at 2" — radar-estimated size aloft.
The Jul 27, 2026 convective day was bigger than Hazel Crest: the same system put hail over 803 other tracked cities, 130 of them in Illinois. Nearest: Markham (0 miles north, up to 2"); Tinley Park (5 miles west, up to 3"); South Holland (5 miles east, up to 1.25").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 2 Hazel Crest 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
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.
“Concentrated tree and structural damage on the 2300 block of W 167th Street. Within likely tornado path. Time estimated by initial rotation passing over location via ra (LOT)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“Likely portion of tornado path in/near Markham. Concentrated area of tree damage along westbound I-80/I-294 at the Dixie Highway exit directly east and west of the exit (LOT)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“Updates prior report. An NWS storm survey confirmed an EF-1 tornado with peak winds of 110 mph... peak width of 200 yards... and path length of 11.4 miles impacted Coun (LOT)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“Relayed via mping. (LOT)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“Also estimated 60 mph winds. (LOT)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“Relayed via mping. Time estimated by radar. (LOT)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“Private weather station KILOAKFO13 reported 68 mph gust. Last observation prior to power outage. (LOT)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
Storm forensics
Read from the arrival times and locations of the NOAA ground reports, not a radar-measured storm track.
Hail was reported over 14 minutes, from to .
Reports came from Oak Forest, Midlothian, and Markham — beyond Hazel Crest itself.
Severe hail signal
Two-inch-plus hail is capable of puncturing shingles, breaking skylights or windows, and heavily denting soft materials. The strongest radar bands warrant prompt inspection, but neither the signal nor the footprint confirms damage at a specific address.
Radar reading · not confirmed damage
Roofing exposure
Potential roof exposure
$1B
Potential roof exposure — 87,282 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
Close just 0.5% of the 87,282 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
July 2028
Claims from this storm can typically be filed until around July 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 $18,329 on top of the $150 plan.
Hazel Crest hail history
Set your territory and alerts today. When hail hits, use Overview to choose your streets and get moving.
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