The estimated-size surface reached 4" aloft; NEXRAD logged no point detections over Willow Springs that day. At 4" — softball or larger — 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
Two instruments, one storm: NEXRAD logs the point signatures it detected overhead, while the estimated-size surface models how large the hail aloft could have grown. Agreement between them is not guaranteed — the gaps are where the model ran ahead of, or behind, the detections.
Estimated size field Radar-estimated maximum hail size across the swath, modeled from radar aloft. It reflects the biggest stone the storm could support, which may differ from what actually fell.
Only the radar-estimated size surface resolved for Jul 27, 2026 — this storm produced no NEXRAD point detections over Willow Springs, so there is one map to show, not two.
The storm in context
This was Willow Springs's 4th recorded hail day, arriving 9 days after the Jul 18, 2026 storm. By severity it ranks 1st of the 4 storms we have logged here. Radar put the day's largest stone over Willow Springs at 4" — radar-estimated size aloft.
The Jul 27, 2026 convective day was bigger than Willow Springs: the same system put hail over 803 other tracked cities, 130 of them in Illinois. Nearest: Lemont (5 miles west, up to 4"); Bridgeview (5 miles east, up to 2.75"); Palos Hills (5 miles east, up to 2.75").
These maps are stills. In the app this date is one of 4 Willow Springs 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.
“An NWS damage survey confirmed an EF-0 tornado with peak winds of 85 mph... path length of 2.9 miles... and max width of 250 yards impacted Orland Park. (LOT)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“Relayed via mping. Time estimated by radar. (LOT)”
— NOAA / SPC storm report
“Relayed via mping. Time estimated by radar. (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.
Reports came from Homer Glen, Darien, and Orland Park — beyond Willow Springs 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
$350M
Potential roof exposure — 29,207 homes × the ~$12,000 industry-average hail roof claim. Exposure, not confirmed damage.
Close just 0.5% of the 29,207 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 $6,133 on top of the $150 plan.
Willow Springs hail history
Estimated-size surface 
Estimated-size surface 
Estimated-size surface Set your territory and alerts today. When hail hits, use Overview to choose your streets and get moving.
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