StormProof → hail seasons → Chicago → 2020
Chicago hail season 2020
34 NWS-recorded hail reports ≥1″ within 45 miles, across 8 storm days, max 2.75". Every one of those reports is a dated, located, citable official record — the context behind this market's 2020 claim volume.
Biggest storm days (2020, final record)
| Date | ≥1″ reports | Max hail | Areas named in the record |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 7, 2020 | 14 | 2.75" | PORTER, LAKE, COOK, DU PAGE |
| August 23, 2020 | 4 | 1.25" | COOK |
| June 22, 2020 | 4 | 1.50" | WILL, LAKE, COOK |
| October 12, 2020 | 3 | 1.00" | LAKE, PORTER |
| June 29, 2020 | 3 | 1.00" | KANE |
“Hail 1.50 inches in diameter was reported on Brookside Lane in Downers Grove with significant roof damage.”
— NWS event narrative, April 7, 2020 (NCEI Storm Events)
When it fell
Apr 14 · Jun 10 · Jul 1 · Aug 6 · Oct 3
Wind context: the record also holds 251 thunderstorm-wind events ≥50 kt (≈58 mph, the NWS severe criterion) in this radius for 2020 — relevant where the dispute is wind vs hail causation.
Working a Chicago claim from 2020?
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.