StormProof → hail seasons → Chicago → 2017
Chicago hail season 2017
48 NWS-recorded hail reports ≥1″ within 45 miles, across 12 storm days, max 1.75". Every one of those reports is a dated, located, citable official record — the context behind this market's 2017 claim volume.
Biggest storm days (2017, final record)
| Date | ≥1″ reports | Max hail | Areas named in the record |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 28, 2017 | 9 | 1.75" | WILL, COOK |
| July 7, 2017 | 7 | 1.75" | LAKE, COOK, PORTER |
| April 10, 2017 | 7 | 1.75" | KENDALL, WILL, COOK, KANE |
| July 21, 2017 | 6 | 1.25" | DU PAGE, COOK, KANE |
| July 23, 2017 | 5 | 1.50" | KANKAKEE, WILL, KANE, DU PAGE |
“Quarter to golf ball size hail was reported with half dollar size hail reported between Route 30 and Saint Francis Road.”
— NWS event narrative, February 28, 2017 (NCEI Storm Events)
When it fell
Feb 10 · Mar 5 · Apr 7 · Jun 6 · Jul 19 · Aug 1
Wind context: the record also holds 73 thunderstorm-wind events ≥50 kt (≈58 mph, the NWS severe criterion) in this radius for 2017 — relevant where the dispute is wind vs hail causation.
Working a Chicago claim from 2017?
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.