Weather Realness

Hailstones pelted Illinois last week. How they form and grow so large

 
Left to right: hailstones and hail damage in Bradley, Illinois from March 10, 2026.

Left to right: hailstones and hail damage in Bradley, Illinois from March 10, 2026. IPM News

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Last week’s severe storms produced massive hail stones damaging homes and vehicles. A six-inch hailstone was reported in Kankakee Illinois, which may be record breaking.The current state record is the 4.75 inch hailstone from Minooka in June 2015. 

There was also hail the size of softballs reported near Chicago, while temperatures were only in the 40s.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Department of Climate, Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences professor Stephen Nesbitt  and Professor in the Department of Climate, Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences, Jeff Frame take a closer look at the science behind hailstorms and why some grow to enormous sizes.

​Funding for Weather Realness is partially provided by the Backlund Charitable Trust.  If you have a question for a local scientist on this program, please leave a voicemail at 217.333.2141 or email weatherrealness@illinois.edu