StormProof → hail seasons → Chicago → 2008
Chicago hail season 2008
18 NWS-recorded hail reports ≥1″ within 45 miles, across 10 storm days, max 2.50". Every one of those reports is a dated, located, citable official record — the context behind this market's 2008 claim volume.
Biggest storm days (2008, final record)
| Date | ≥1″ reports | Max hail | Areas named in the record |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 4, 2008 | 3 | 1.00" | DU PAGE, KANE |
| July 2, 2008 | 3 | 1.00" | COOK, MCHENRY |
| June 22, 2008 | 3 | 1.00" | PORTER, COOK |
| June 4, 2008 | 2 | 1.75" | COOK |
| May 30, 2008 | 2 | 2.50" | KANKAKEE, LAKE |
“Quarter size hail was reported near Army Trail and County Farm Roads.”
— NWS event narrative, August 4, 2008 (NCEI Storm Events)
When it fell
Apr 1 · May 2 · Jun 8 · Jul 4 · Aug 3
Wind context: the record also holds 180 thunderstorm-wind events ≥50 kt (≈58 mph, the NWS severe criterion) in this radius for 2008 — relevant where the dispute is wind vs hail causation.
Working a Chicago claim from 2008?
These are aggregates. A claim file needs the per-address record: every recorded event within 1, 3 and 10 miles of the property, distances, official narratives, and citations an adjuster can check line by line. That's the report — generated in seconds, hosted on HailEvidence (the neutral evidence surface), formatted as an insurance-appeal attachment.
Unlimited reports — Pro $99/mo Single report $29
Provenance
Final counts: NCEI Storm Events Database, file vintage c20260527, hail events with recorded magnitude ≥1.00″ and point coordinates within 45 miles of the Chicago anchor. NWS records are point and path observations. The absence of a nearby report does NOT prove that no hail fell at this address — it means no observation was logged nearby. A report of nearby hail documents the event; it does not by itself prove damage to a specific structure. Spotted an error? Email the address on our terms page and we correct against the source.