Hail in West Chicago · Jul 3, 2026
NEXRAD logged 24 hail signatures up to 1.5"; the estimated-size surface reached 0.5" aloft. Open it on the live map to see the swath over the streets.
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Convective day · Jul 3, 2026 · noon–noon UTC
Severity
The most severe storm West 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
- 38 /100
- Homes exposed
- 85 /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 West Chicago saw the hail — from two instruments
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.
Radar signature field NEXRAD radar signatures — the point detections the storm produced overhead. A signature is where the radar saw hail, not a confirmed stone on the ground.
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.
The storm in context
Where Jul 3, 2026 sits in West Chicago's hail record.
This was West Chicago's 6th recorded hail day, arriving 1 day after the Jul 2, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 1st of the 8 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over West Chicago at 1.5" — the largest NEXRAD radar signature.
The Jul 3, 2026 convective day was bigger than West Chicago: the same system put hail over 1,885 other tracked cities, 215 of them in Illinois. Nearest: Carol Stream (5 miles east, up to 1.5"); Glendale Heights (5 miles east, up to 1.5"); Saint Charles (5 miles west, up to 1.5").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 8 West 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.
No ground reports were filed with the National Weather Service for this storm over West Chicago. 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.
High damage potential
What 1.5" hail means for West Chicago roofs.
Hail around an inch and a half is capable of cracking shingles, stripping granules, and denting gutters, vents, and siding. Risk is usually greatest near the strongest radar signal, but property-level damage still requires an on-site inspection.
Radar reading · not confirmed damage
Roofing exposure
What this storm is worth to a roofer.
Potential roof exposure
$206M
Potential roof exposure — 17,169 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
- Illustrative jobs
- 86 jobs
- Illustrative work
- ~$1.3M
Close just 0.5% of the 17,169 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 $3,605 on top of the $150 plan.
West Chicago hail history
Other storms in West Chicago.
Estimated-size surface Aug 9, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jul 27, 2026
1.25"
Estimated-size surface Jul 2, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Jun 10, 2026
0.5"
NEXRAD surface May 4, 2026
1"
Estimated-size surface Apr 14, 2026
1"
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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