A 15.2 cm (6 inches) hailstone in Kankakee could set a new Illinois record
A 15.2 cm (6 inches) wide hailstone was measured in Kankakee, Illinois, on March 10, 2026, after an intense supercell produced a corridor of giant hail across parts of northern Illinois, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Chicago. The agency said the stone may be considered for a new Illinois state record, but its status remains unofficial pending verification.
If confirmed, the Kankakee stone would exceed Illinois’ current official hail record of 12.1 cm (4.75 inches), set in Minooka on June 10, 2015.
NWS climatology material for Illinois identifies the Minooka hailstone as the state’s current official record and notes that a previous 15.2 cm (6 inches) report from Kankakee on April 23, 1961, could not be reasonably validated or verified.
The Kankakee-area supercell produced several additional giant-hail reports during the event. NWS reporting lists hail of 14 cm (5.5 inches) near Campus, 13.2 cm (5.2 inches) southwest of Kankakee, and 12.7 cm (5 inches) near Buckingham.
A separate supercell tracking across the Chicago southwest suburbs also produced exceptionally large hail, including a 12.2 cm (4.8 inches) report in Darien. The Darien report was part of the same severe-weather episode, but not part of the same hail core as the Kankakee-area storm.
A 15.2 cm (6 inches) hailstone is large enough to shatter windows, damage roofs and siding, heavily damage vehicles, and seriously injure anyone caught outdoors.
Preliminary NWS reports from the March 10 event included damage to vehicles and roofs in the Darien area, broken windows in Bradley, roof damage in Kankakee, and downed power lines south of Sun River Terrace.
The hail developed within a broader severe-weather episode that affected northern Illinois and extended into northwestern Indiana on March 10.
NWS summaries indicate tornado watches and warnings were in place ahead of confirmed tornadoes, and the same Kankakee-area supercell continued eastward into Indiana, where it remained associated with significant hail and tornado damage.
References:
1 March 10, 2026: Strong Tornadoes in the Kankakee River Valley and Giant Hail – NWS – March 10, 2026
2 Occurrences of Hail of 2 Inches or Larger Since 1955 – NWS – Accessed March 11, 2026
3 March 10th Severe Weather and Starke County Tornado – NWS – March 11, 2026
Featured image credit: Live Storms Media (stillshot)
I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.
Commenting rules and guidelines
We value the thoughts and opinions of our readers and welcome healthy discussions on our website. In order to maintain a respectful and positive community, we ask that all commenters follow these rules.