National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

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Map of very large hail in central and southeast Illinois since 1950.
Map of 2" or larger size hail reports since 1950.  Click image to enlarge.
 

 

Approximate hail sizes as compared to objects. Dimensions refer to the diameter of the object. When very large hail is observed, it is desirable to use a ruler or tape measure for an exact measurement. 

Size Object
2.00" Lime or navel orange
2.25" Standard billiard ball
2.50" Tennis ball
2.75" Baseball
3.00" Large orange
3.50" Croquet ball
4.00" Softball
4.50" Grapefruit
4.75" DVD disc


Specific details on these occurrences can be found at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction's Storm Events Database.
 


These are the largest hailstones (3" diameter or larger) with the Lincoln NWS coverage area of central and southeast Illinois since 1950 (27 reports).  
 

4.50" Diameter
5/9/1995 Galesburg (Knox County)
4/7/1998 Arthur (Douglas County)
5/12/1998 Littleton (Schuyler County)
4/10/2001 Cowden (Shelby County)
5/9/2003 Stanford (McLean County)
4.25" Diameter
7/13/2004 Hudson (McLean County)
5/30/2008 Philo (Champaign County)
4.00" Diameter
8/26/2000 Bement (Piatt County)
5/21/2014 1 mile west-northwest of Tuscola (Douglas County)
5/30/2004 Metamora (Woodford County)
11/17/2013 2 miles northeast of Covell (McLean County)
3.75" Diameter
8/18/2001 San Jose (Logan County)
3.50" Diameter
6/23/1960 Oreana (Macon County)
5/5/1977 Literberry (Morgan County)
6/29/2012 3 miles south-southwest of Bismarck (Vermilion County)
3.00" Diameter
5/6/1971 5 miles north of Effingham (Effingham County)
6/13/1975 8 miles northeast of Canton (Fulton County)
4/9/2001 Castleton (Stark County)
5/28/2003 4 miles northwest of Washington (Tazewell County)
4/16/2006 Normal (McLean County
5/24/2006 St. David (Fulton County)
5/30/2008 3 miles west of Loami (Sangamon County)
5/21/2014 Camargo (Douglas County)
4/9/2015 2 miles northeast of Mahomet (Champaign County)
5/1/2016 3 miles south of Brocton (Edgar County)
4/8/2020 1 mile west of Devereux Heights (Sangamon County)
8/20/2022 Washington (Tazewell County)

 

The largest officially documented hailstone in Illinois was 4.75" in diameter, occurring at Minooka on June 10, 2015. While determining the validity of this report, the State Climate Extremes Committee, operating within the National Centers for Environmental Information, investigated a previous report of 6" diameter hail at Kankakee on April 23, 1961. It was determined that this measurement could not be reasonably validated or verified, based on synoptic weather conditions that occurred across the area on that date.

 


All reports of hail of at least 2" in diameter, broken up by county, from greatest to fewest reports:
 

Vermilion County (19 reports)

Size Location Date
3.50" 3 miles south-southwest of Bismarck 6/29/2012
2.75" 4 miles west of Bismarck 6/29/2012
2.75" Westville 5/16/2019
2.75" Oakwood 5/17/1991
2.75" Georgetown 5/18/2000
2.75" Indianola 5/18/2000
2.75" Hoopeston 3/20/2017
2.50" 3 miles west of Hoopeston 5/6/2012
2.50" Hoopeston 5/6/2012
2.50" Rankin 5/26/2017
2.00" 4 miles northwest of Danville 9/30/1977
2.00" Rossville 5/18/2000
2.00" Allerton 8/18/2001
2.00" (DNV) Vermilion Regional Airport 6/29/2012
2.00" Hoopeston 3/20/2017
2.00" 5 miles ESE Rankin 5/26/2017
2.00" 3 miles west of Hoopeston 5/26/2017
2.00" 5 miles west of Rossville 5/26/2017
2.00" 2 miles west of Hoopeston 5/26/2017

 

McLean County (11 reports)

Size Location Date
4.50" Stanford 5/9/2003
4.25" Hudson 7/13/2004
4.00" 2 miles northeast of Covell 11/17/2013
3.00" Normal 4/16/2006
2.75" Danvers 4/3/1974
2.75" 6 miles north of Lexington 3/30/2005
2.75" Normal 11/17/2013
2.75" 1 mile north of Towanda 5/11/2014
2.50" Danvers 5/9/2003
2.00" Colfax 10/17/1988
2.00" 2 miles south-southeast of Carlock 4/16/2006

 

Champaign County (11 reports)

Size Location Date
4.25" Philo 5/30/2008
3.00" 2 miles northeast of Mahomet 4/09/2015
2.75" Mahomet 5/6/1961
2.75" 3 miles south of Sadorus 5/18/2000
2.75" 3 miles south of Champaign 5/18/2000
2.75" Fisher 3/12/2006
2.75" 1 mile north-northeast of Sadorus 5/30/2008
2.50" Philo 5/30/2008
2.25" 2 miles southeast of Mahomet 4/09/2015
2.00" Pesotum 5/18/2000
2.00" 2 miles east of Sadorus 5/30/2008

 

Douglas County (10 reports)

Size Location Date
4.50" Arthur 4/7/1998
4.00" 1 mile west-northwest of Tuscola 5/21/2014
3.00" Camargo 5/21/2014
2.75" Newman 4/10/1981
2.75" Hindsboro 7/4/1985
2.00" 3 miles northwest of Tuscola 5/21/2014
2.00" Camargo 5/25/1989
2.00" Newman 4/19/1996
2.00" 4 miles northwest of Tuscola 5/21/2014
2.00" 3 miles north of Hindsboro 5/21/2014

 

Fulton County (10 reports)

Size Location Date
3.00" 8 miles northeast of Canton 6/13/1975
3.00" St. David 5/24/2006
2.75" Cuba 7/21/2008
2.75" Fiatt 7/21/2008
2.50" Canton 4/10/2017
2.00" Canton 4/10/2017
2.00" Blyton 6/14/1974
2.00" 1 mile east of Bryant 5/24/2006
2.00" 1 mile north of Dunfermline 5/24/2006
2.00" 4 miles east-southeast of Lewistown 6/4/2010

 

Tazewell County (10 reports)

Size Location Date
3.00" 4 miles northwest of Washington 5/28/2003
3.00" Washington 8/20/2022
2.75" Tremont 12/8/1991
2.75" Delavan 5/30/2004
2.50" 6 miles southwest of Delavan 8/18/2001
2.50" Morton 5/8/2003
2.00" Mackinaw 7/26/1978
2.00" Armington 5/9/2003
2.00" Washington 5/13/2008
2.00" Creve Coeur 7/11/2020

 

Peoria County (9 reports)

Size Location Date
2.75" Peoria 6/2/1980
2.75" Hanna City 4/10/1981
2.75" Alta 7/9/1990
2.00" 1 mile west of Bartonville 6/4/2002
2.00" Kickapoo 7/26/2002
2.00" Norwood 5/9/2003
2.00" 1 mile west of Princeville 4/13/2006
2.00" Bellevue 6/19/2009
2.00" Princeville 4/19/2011

 

Edgar County (7 reports)

Size Location Date
3.00" 3 miles south of Brockton 5/01/2016
2.75" 1 mile north of Paris 5/10/2003
2.50" Chrisman 7/21/2008
2.50" Paris 4/10/2013
2.00" 2 miles south of Paris 5/30/2004
2.00" Paris 4/10/2013
2.00" Vermilion 3/28/2020

 

Morgan County (7 reports)

Size Location Date
3.50" Literberry 5/5/1977
2.75" Alexander 3/15/2016
2.75" (IJX) Jacksonville Airport 5/10/2017
2.00" Jacksonville 4/19/1964
2.00" Murrayville 5/11/1975
2.00" 1 mile north-northwest of Waverly 4/15/2011
2.00" Jacksonville 3/15/2016

 

Sangamon County (6 reports)

Size Location Date
3.00" 3 miles west of Loami 5/30/2008
3.00" Devereux Heights 4/8/2020
2.50" (SPI) Springfield Capital Airport 4/3/1974
2.50" 1 mile northwest of Divernon 5/30/2008
2.00" Auburn 5/27/2002
2.00" 3 miles west-southwest of Divernon 8/13/2011

 

Woodford County (6 reports)

Size Location Date
4.00" Secor 5/30/2004
2.75" Kappa 7/13/2004
2.50" 2 miles south of Eureka 5/12/2000
2.00" 4 miles west-northwest of Benson 6/13/1975
2.00" Metamora 7/26/1978
2.00" Minonk 5/17/1991

 

Crawford County (6 reports)

Size Location Date
2.75" New Hebron 5/25/1989
2.75" Robinson 7/20/1990
2.75" 2 miles west of Palestine 7/20/1990
2.00" Robinson 6/24/1985
2.00" 5 miles south of Oblong 6/26/2006
2.00" Flat Rock 6/18/2009

 

Coles County (5 reports)

Size Location Date
2.50" Fairgrange 7/9/1992
2.50" Ashmore 7/9/1992
2.00" Mattoon 11/15/1955
2.00" Charleston 5/14/2003
2.00" 2 E Oakland 5/01/2016

 

Logan County (5 reports)

Size Location Date
3.75" San Jose 8/18/2001
2.50" Mount Pulaski 8/13/2011
2.25" Logan County Airport 5/9/1995
2.00" Broadwell 5/12/2000
2.00" 2 miles south of Mount Pulaski 7/26/1978

 

Piatt County (5 reports)

Size Location Date
4.00" Bement 8/26/2000
2.75" Monticello 5/15/2009
2.50" De Land 5/28/2019
2.00" White Heath 5/21/2014
2.00 4 miles west of Monticello 5/11/2016

 

Christian County (4 reports)

Size Location Date
2.75" Assumption 11/17/2013
2.00" 2 miles southwest of Sicily 4/7/1998
2.00" 1 mile west of Morrisonville 5/1/2002
2.00" 5 miles west-southwest of Rosamond 5/3/2021

 

Macon County (4 reports)

Size Location Date
3.50" Oreana 6/22/1960
2.25" 4 miles southeast of Niantic 4/18/1996
2.00" Decatur 4/22/1963
2.00" Warrensburg 8/17/2000

 

Clay County (4 reports)

Size Location Date
2.75" Louisville 9/19/1986
2.75" Hord 5/25/1989
2.75" 5 miles south of Xenia 5/3/1996
2.50" 1 mile west of Flora 4/24/2002

 

Knox County (4 reports)

Size Location Date
4.50" Galesburg 5/9/1995
2.75" Altona 4/13/2006
2.00" Williamsfield 4/30/1973
2.00" Hermon 6/14/1974

 

Menard County (4 reports)

Size Location Date
2.50" Petersburg 12/8/1991
2.00" 4 miles north-northeast of Athens 3/21/1966
2.00" Greenview 7/28/1996
2.00" 2 miles east of Oakford 4/4/2003

 

Effingham County (3 reports)

Size Location Date
3.00" 5 miles north of Effingham 5/6/1971
2.75" 4 miles east-northeast of Shumway 11/15/1955
2.00" Beecher City 9/30/1977

 

Jasper County (3 reports)

Size Location Date
2.75" 2 miles east of Wheeler 5/25/1989
2.00" Newton 6/24/1985
2.00" 2 miles southeast of Newton 6/21/2009

 

Mason County (3 reports)

Size Location Date
2.75" Manito 12/8/1991
2.75" Manito 8/18/2001
2.00" Kilbourne 4/4/2003

 

Cass County (3 reports)

Size Location Date
2.75" Philadelphia 5/5/1977
2.50" 2 miles southwest of Bluff Springs 6/10/2018
2.00" 4 miles west of Ashland 3/21/1966

 

Cumberland County (2 reports)

Size Location Date
2.50 Greenup 5/11/2014
2.00 3 miles northwest of Greenup 5/11/2014

 

Lawrence County (2 reports)

Size Location Date
2.75" 3 miles east of Birds 5/31/1998
2.00" Sumner 1/17/2012

 

Schuyler County (2 reports)

Size Location Date
4.50" Littleton 5/12/1998
2.75" 1 mile northwest of Rushville 8/18/1999

 

De Witt County (1 report)

Size Location Date
2.75" 3 miles southwest of Clinton 5/28/2003

 

Marshall County (1 report)

Size Location Date
2.75" Varna 4/9/2001

 

Moultrie County (1 report)

Size Location Date
2.00" Bethany 4/7/1998

 

Richland County (1 report)

Size Location Date
2.00" Olney 6/24/1985

 

Shelby County (1 report)

Size Location Date
4.50" Cowden 4/10/2001

 

Stark County (1 report)

Size Location Date
3.00" 2 miles southeast of Castleton 4/9/2001


No occurrences of hail 2" or larger have been reported in Clark or Scott Counties since 1950.