StormProof → hail seasons → Chicago → 2011
Chicago hail season 2011
71 NWS-recorded hail reports ≥1″ within 45 miles, across 10 storm days, max 2.75". Every one of those reports is a dated, located, citable official record — the context behind this market's 2011 claim volume.
Biggest storm days (2011, final record)
| Date | ≥1″ reports | Max hail | Areas named in the record |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 30, 2011 | 14 | 2.75" | WILL, LAKE, PORTER, COOK |
| August 13, 2011 | 13 | 1.50" | LAKE, WILL, KENDALL, LA PORTE |
| June 4, 2011 | 13 | 1.75" | KANKAKEE, WILL, COOK, KENDALL |
| May 11, 2011 | 9 | 1.75" | PORTER, WILL, COOK, KANE |
| September 3, 2011 | 4 | 1.75" | WILL, COOK |
“Hail 2.0 inches in diameter shattered thousands of glass panes at the Garfield Park Conservatory. Clean up costs were estimated at $2 million while repair and replacement costs were estimated at $15 million.”
— NWS event narrative, June 30, 2011 (NCEI Storm Events)
When it fell
Mar 4 · Apr 4 · May 16 · Jun 27 · Jul 3 · Aug 13 · Sep 4
Wind context: the record also holds 228 thunderstorm-wind events ≥50 kt (≈58 mph, the NWS severe criterion) in this radius for 2011 — relevant where the dispute is wind vs hail causation.
Working a Chicago claim from 2011?
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.