StormProof → hail seasons → Rockford → 2026
Rockford hail season 2026
32 NWS-recorded hail reports ≥1″ within 25 miles, across 7 storm days, max 2.75". Every one of those reports is a dated, located, citable official record — the context behind this market's 2026 claim volume.
Biggest storm days (2026, final record)
| Date | ≥1″ reports | Max hail | Areas named in the record |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 17, 2026 | 11 | 2.25" | STEPHENSON, WINNEBAGO, ROCK |
| April 14, 2026 | 9 | 1.75" | OGLE, BOONE, WINNEBAGO |
| March 10, 2026 | 5 | 2.75" | STEPHENSON, WINNEBAGO, ROCK |
| April 15, 2026 | 3 | 1.00" | WINNEBAGO, BOONE |
| June 24, 2026 | 2 | 1.00" | DE KALB, OGLE |
“A few hail reports came from south of Durand ranging in size from 1.25 to 2.25 inches in diameter.”
— NWS event narrative, April 17, 2026 (NCEI Storm Events)
When it fell
Mar 6 · Apr 24 · Jun 2
Preliminary 2026 reports (SPC, season in progress)
Same-day SPC storm reports through 2026-10-01, before NCEI compiles the final record: 34 reports ≥1″ on 7 days, up to 2.75". Preliminary counts shift as reports are quality-controlled; they are labeled preliminary in every report we generate.
| Date (preliminary) | ≥1″ reports | Max hail | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 17, 2026 | 15 | 2.25" | Winneshiek, 2 NNW Pecatonica, 2 SW Durand, 1 S Durand |
| April 14, 2026 | 9 | 1.75" | 3 W Rochelle, 4 W Rochelle, 1 S Belvidere, Garden Prairie |
| March 10, 2026 | 4 | 2.75" | 1 N Davis, 2 N Davis, 1 NW Lake Summerset, 1 SSW Beloit |
| April 15, 2026 | 3 | 1.00" | Winnebago, 4 ENE Winnebago, Poplar Grove |
| August 21, 2026 | 1 | 1.00" | 1 N Machesney Park |
Wind context: the record also holds 25 thunderstorm-wind events ≥50 kt (≈58 mph, the NWS severe criterion) in this radius for 2026 — relevant where the dispute is wind vs hail causation.
Working a Rockford claim from 2026?
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 c20260918, hail events with recorded magnitude ≥1.00″ and point coordinates within 25 miles of the Rockford anchor. Preliminary counts: SPC daily storm reports through 2026-10-01. 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.