Elgin hail storm history
Kane County·NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database·~75-day publication lag
Kane County has recorded 9 documented hail events of 1 inch or larger over the past 10 years, with 1 event meeting the significant threshold of 1.5 inches. Elgin sits in the Chicago metropolitan area, where Lake Michigan's influence on local weather patterns creates conditions favorable for hail development, particularly in the western and southern suburbs away from the lakeshore.
Hail in Elgin occurs most frequently from April through June, with secondary risk extending into March and July. Lake-breeze boundaries can locally enhance storm intensity during the spring peak, making late April and May the months when homeowners face the highest probability of damaging hail events.
Annual frequency — last 10 years
When hail hits — monthly pattern
Avg events per month · all years · NOAA data
All recorded hail events
Of 169 recorded events, 36 (21%) reached 1.5" or larger — the threshold for likely functional damage on standard asphalt shingles.
A trained spotter reported 1.75 hail near US Rt. 14 and Dean St.
One inch hail was reported on the 400 block of Shannon Dr in Woodstock.
A report of 1 hail was relayed via mPING.
A report of one inch hail was received via Spotter Network from south of Sycamore. Time was estimate…
A photo shared on social media showed quarter size hail near Elgin.
Golf ball size hail was reported near Route 64 and Dean Street.
Photos showed that most hailstones were half an inch in diameter or less, though the largest hailsto…
Hail 1.50 inches in diameter was measured near the intersection of Kirk Road and Main Street.
A photo shared on social media showed 1.5 inch diameter hail in Grayslake.
Quarter size hail was reported south of Genoa.
Quarter size hail was reported at Route 53 and Lake Cook Road.
Quarter size hail was reported near Quentin and Lake Zurich Roads.
A photo was shared on social media of quarter size hail.
Quarter size hail was reported near Arlington Heights Road and Landmeier Road.
Half dollar size hail was reported near Route 53 and Euclid Avenue.
Nickel size hail fell across Glencoe for 10 minutes.
Multiple reports of nickel to quarter size hail were received from Sleepy Hollow.
Multiple reports of quarter size hail were received from areas south of Genoa.
Hail 2.25 inches in diameter was reported near Winn Road and Route 12.
Quarter to golf ball size hail was reported in Wonder Lake.
Quarter size hail was reported near Route 12 and Route 176.
Relayed via social media.
Penny size hail one mile north of Grayslake to one inch hail in Grayslake.
Ping pong ball size hail was reported near Chevy Chase Road. Quarter size hail was reported near Car…
Quarter size hail was reported near the intersection of Route 20 and McClean Boulevard.
The 9 documented events in Kane County reflect NOAA's Storm Events Database, which relies on trained spotters, emergency management reports, and damage assessments. Low event counts in some years may reflect reporting density rather than actual storm absence—severe hail events receive consistent documentation, but smaller events depend on observer presence. Current-year data is excluded from the annual frequency table until October, when NOAA's Storm Events Database has processed the full hail season accounting for the standard 75-day reporting lag.
NOAA Storm Events Database source