Joliet area, July 27, 2026: spotters filed 39 hail reports, between 16:47 and 20:46 UTC. The closest report fell 5.8 miles from the Joliet city center (2 SW Crystal Lawns). The largest stone measured 3.00 in. at 2 WSW Shorewood, Will County.
The first Joliet report is stamped 16:47 UTC: 1.00-inch hail at 3 W York Center (21.9 mi north). The last is 20:46 UTC: 1.50-inch hail at 1 SW Minooka (11.8 mi west-southwest).
The farthest report from the center is 1 E La Grange Park (24.0 mi north-northeast): 1.50-inch hail, 18.2 miles beyond the nearest one.
Sizes on Jul 27 run from 1.00 in. at 3 W York Center to 3.00 in. at 2 WSW Shorewood around 20:41 UTC.
The Joliet event before this one is Friday, July 3, 2026, 24 days earlier, with 2 reports. Its largest stone measured 1.00 in.; Jul 27 reached 3.00 in.
Where the hail fell
- under 0.75 in
- 0.75 to 0.99
- 1.00 to 1.74
- 1.75 to 2.49
- 2.50 and up
How many reports fell close to the city
| Distance from city center | Reports | Largest hail |
|---|---|---|
| Within 5 miles | 0 | — |
| Within 10 miles | 6 | 3.00″ |
| Within 25 miles | 39 | 3.00″ |
Reported hail, report by report
| Time (UTC) | Hail size | Location | Distance from city center |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20:41 | 3.00″ | 2 WSW Shorewood, Will County | 7.7 mi |
| 17:18 | 2.50″ | 1 WNW Westmont, DuPage County | 19.6 mi |
| 20:35 | 2.25″ | 2 N Shorewood, Will County | 6.8 mi |
| 16:56 | 2.00″ | Clarendon Hills, DuPage County | 19.4 mi |
| 17:04 | 2.00″ | 1 NW Clarendon Hills, DuPage County | 19.9 mi |
| 17:05 | 2.00″ | Downers Grove, DuPage County | 18.8 mi |
| 20:46 | 2.00″ | 1 SE Minooka, Will County | 10.1 mi |
| 16:54 | 1.75″ | Oak Brook, DuPage County | 22.7 mi |
| 16:56 | 1.75″ | Hinsdale, DuPage County | 20.6 mi |
| 17:15 | 1.75″ | Downers Grove, DuPage County | 18.7 mi |
| 17:20 | 1.75″ | 1 ENE Willowbrook, Cook County | 19.5 mi |
| 17:30 | 1.75″ | 1 NE Tinley Park, Cook County | 16.1 mi |
| 17:32 | 1.75″ | 2 SE Lemont, Cook County | 10.7 mi |
| 17:49 | 1.75″ | 2 NE Mokena, Will County | 12.1 mi |
| 20:32 | 1.75″ | 4 SW Plainfield, Will County | 9.7 mi |
| 16:54 | 1.50″ | 1 N Oakbrook Terrace, DuPage County | 23.9 mi |
| 17:00 | 1.50″ | 1 NE Downers Grove, DuPage County | 20.1 mi |
| 17:01 | 1.50″ | 1 E La Grange Park, Cook County | 24.0 mi |
| 17:14 | 1.50″ | 2 NW Lisle, DuPage County | 21.1 mi |
| 20:45 | 1.50″ | 1 S Shorewood, Will County | 6.3 mi |
| 20:46 | 1.50″ | 1 SW Minooka, Grundy County | 11.8 mi |
| 16:54 | 1.25″ | 1 WSW Willowbrook, DuPage County | 18.1 mi |
| 17:02 | 1.25″ | 1 NW Countryside, Cook County | 20.8 mi |
| 17:03 | 1.25″ | 1 NNE Indian Head Park, Cook County | 20.2 mi |
| 17:35 | 1.25″ | 3 NW Homer Glen, Will County | 10.1 mi |
| 20:35 | 1.25″ | 2 SW Crystal Lawns, Will County | 5.8 mi |
| 20:38 | 1.25″ | 4 W Shorewood, Kendall County | 9.7 mi |
| 16:47 | 1.00″ | 3 W York Center, DuPage County | 21.9 mi |
| 16:52 | 1.00″ | 1 SW York Center, DuPage County | 22.1 mi |
| 17:26 | 1.00″ | Darien, DuPage County | 16.6 mi |
| 17:46 | 1.00″ | 1 SSW Merrionette Park, Cook County | 21.7 mi |
| 17:47 | 1.00″ | 1 W Oak Forest, Cook County | 16.9 mi |
| 17:50 | 1.00″ | Oak Forest, Cook County | 18.4 mi |
| 17:50 | 1.00″ | 1 NW Oak Lawn, Cook County | 21.0 mi |
| 17:51 | 1.00″ | 1 SW Evergreen Park, Cook County | 22.7 mi |
| 18:01 | 1.00″ | 1 W Midlothian, Cook County | 18.9 mi |
| 18:03 | 1.00″ | Park Forest, Cook County | 21.0 mi |
| 18:04 | 1.00″ | 2 W Frankfort, Will County | 10.7 mi |
| 19:22 | 1.00″ | 1 S Carbon Hill, Grundy County | 20.4 mi |
The rows above come from preliminary Local Storm Reports of the NOAA Storm Prediction Center. Sizes are reported hailstone diameters; times are UTC. Reports can be added or corrected for about a day after the event. Where a report carries no distance, it is measured in a straight line from its coordinates to the city center.
What 3.00 in. hail on July 27, 2026 means for a Joliet roof
| Size class | Reports | Share | Largest report in class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.00 to 1.74 in | 24 | 62% | 1 N Oakbrook Terrace, 16:54 UTC |
| 1.75 to 2.49 in | 13 | 33% | 2 N Shorewood, 20:35 UTC |
| 2.50 to 3.99 in | 2 | 5% | 2 WSW Shorewood, 20:41 UTC |
39 of the 39 sized Joliet reports reached 1 in. The 3.00 in. stone at 2 WSW Shorewood, Will County falls in the 2.50 to 3.99 in class; on July 27, 2026 that is tennis ball to baseball territory for Joliet.
How the storm moved through the area
| Hour (UTC) | Reports | Largest hail |
|---|---|---|
| 16:00 | 7 | 2.00″ |
| 17:00 | 20 | 2.50″ |
| 18:00 | 3 | 1.00″ |
| 19:00 | 1 | 1.00″ |
| 20:00 | 8 | 3.00″ |
| County | Reports | Largest hail | Closest to city center |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will | 9 | 3.00″ | 5.8 mi |
| DuPage | 14 | 2.50″ | 16.6 mi |
| Cook | 13 | 1.75″ | 10.7 mi |
| Grundy | 2 | 1.50″ | 11.8 mi |
| Kendall | 1 | 1.25″ | 9.7 mi |
What spotters wrote
3.00″, 2 WSW Shorewood at 20:41 UTC: Photo shows hail stone at least 3 inches in diameter that fell near Four Seasons Park in Shorewood. Hail stone was collected and frozen 2 minutes after it fell. Multipl
2.25″, 2 N Shorewood at 20:35 UTC: Relayed via mping. Time estimated by radar.
2.00″, Clarendon Hills at 16:56 UTC: Trained spotter reported 2 inch diameter hail in Clarendon Hills. Time estimated by radar.
2.00″, Downers Grove at 17:05 UTC: Measured hailstone of 2 inches in diameter. Time estimated by radar.
2.00″, 1 SE Minooka at 20:46 UTC: Public report of hen egg size hail near Minooka. Time estimated by radar. Relayed via mping.
How this day compares with other hail days
Joliet has 4 hail days in our NOAA log; by largest hailstone, July 27, 2026 ranks #1 of them. Logged days closest in time to July 27, 2026:
The same storm in nearby cities
July 27: 6 cities in 4 states drew SPC hail reports. Kenosha, WI lies closest to Joliet, 74 miles north, with 5 reports, largest 1.25 in. 4 cities lie within 220 miles of Joliet with hail reports on July 27.
| City | Distance | Reports | Largest hail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenosha, WI | 74 mi north | 5 | 1.25″ |
| Racine, WI | 84 mi north | 1 | 1.00″ |
| Lafayette, IN | 99 mi southeast | 1 | 1.25″ |
| Appleton, WI | 190 mi north | 1 | 1.00″ |
4 nearest to Joliet, within 220 miles; each link opens that city’s list for July 27, 2026.
Where the claim clocks stand for the Joliet storm
Joliet: that storm was 90 days ago. Rows marked passed are not cut-off dates on their own; the only legal limits are the ones tagged statute. For Joliet the photo window, the inspection and the target filing date (Mon, Aug 3) are already behind us.
Claim deadlines for Joliet, IL. Not legal advice; your own reporting deadline comes from your policy.
July 27 against the Will County July record
Joliet's July 27 log shows 3.00 in. hail. The record July in Will County since 2014 is 2022, with 2 reports and a largest stone of 1.00 in.
Hail history near Joliet: not the first
Joliet’s county has logged 93 hail events since 2017; if this one leads to a replacement, ask about Class 4 impact-resistant shingles, which some insurers discount. Check your own address on the hail risk lookup.
Verified roofers in Joliet
- A to Z RoofingVerified
- Elite Roofing & GuttersVerified
- GTZ Remodeling & RoofingVerified
- Great RoofingVerified
- H&H Roofing, Inc.Verified
- Low Cost RoofingVerified
See all roofing contractors in Joliet, IL
What the sizes reported on July 27, 2026 can do to a roof
| Size class in Joliet's reports | Looks like | Reports | What that size can do |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.00 to 1.74 in | quarter to ping-pong ball | 24 | Shingles can bruise and shed granules, often unseen from the ground. |
| 1.75 to 2.49 in | golf ball to hen egg | 13 | Can fracture older shingles and dent vents, flashing and gutters. |
| 2.50 to 3.99 in | tennis ball to baseball | 2 | Can break shingles, crack tile and shatter skylights. |
Size classes follow the SPC report diameters; the damage wording is general, not a finding about any one roof.
2026 in the Will County hail record
NOAA's county table already holds 17 hail reports for Will County in 2026 through June 2026, with a largest stone of 3.00 in. That is more than 5 of the 7 full years before it. The busiest full year in the table is 2017 with 21 reports.
| Year | NOAA hail reports, Will County | Largest stone |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 21 | 1.75″ |
| 2019 | 19 | 1.75″ |
| 2020 | 5 | 1.50″ |
| 2022 | 2 | 1.00″ |
| 2023 | 12 | 1.50″ |
| 2024 | 15 | 1.75″ |
| 2025 | 2 | 1.00″ |
| 2026 (through June 2026) | 17 | 3.00″ |
This date among 2026's matched hail days
In 2026 the feed holds 4 matched hail days for Joliet. Ranked by largest stone, then report count, July 27, 2026 is #1 of them.
Ranked by largest stone, then by report count. Only dates the SPC feed matched to a covered city are counted.
The week after July 27, 2026
After Mon, Jul 27, the feed logged 1 hail report on 1 of the next 7 days in Joliet and the cities within 100 miles. The first came on Tue, Jul 28.
| Day | Reports in Joliet | Other cities within 100 miles | Largest hail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue, Jul 28 | 1 | 0 cities, 0 reports | 2.00″ |
Verified roofers near Joliet
12 verified roofers listed for Joliet. Verified means the license was matched to a state registry.
Questions about this storm
Joliet, July 27, 2026: how big was the hail?
At 2 WSW Shorewood, Will County, the largest SPC report was 3.00 in.
Joliet, July 27, 2026: how close did the hail fall?
The nearest report sat 5.8 miles from the city center and the farthest 24.0 miles. Within 10 miles: 6 of 39 reports.
Joliet, July 27, 2026: how long did the hail last?
Reports are stamped from 16:47 to 20:46 UTC, a window of 239 minutes. Late reports can still be added for about a day.
Joliet, July 27, 2026: was this the worst hail day on record?
Joliet has 4 logged hail days; July 27, 2026 ranks #1 for Joliet, at 3.00 in. The best other day reached 2.00 in.
Do I need an inspection if my roof looks fine?
Often, yes. Hail bruises and granule loss are hard to see from the ground. A dated inspection scope is what ties damage to this storm rather than to ordinary wear.
Did the same storm hit towns near Joliet on July 27, 2026?
The feed shows hail reports that day in Kenosha, WI (74 miles north, 5 reports, up to 1.25 in.); Racine, WI (84 miles north, 1 report, up to 1.00 in.); Lafayette, IN (99 miles southeast, 1 report, up to 1.25 in.).
What did the feed log near Joliet in the week after July 27, 2026?
After Mon, Jul 27, the feed logged 1 hail report on 1 of the next 7 days in Joliet and the cities within 100 miles. The first came on Tue, Jul 28.
Was 2026 a busy hail year in Will County?
NOAA's county table already holds 17 hail reports for Will County in 2026 through June 2026, with a largest stone of 3.00 in. That is more than 5 of the 7 full years before it. The busiest full year in the table is 2017 with 21 reports.
How many verified roofers can inspect after the Mon, Jul 27 storm in Joliet?
12 verified roofers listed for Joliet. Verified means the license was matched to a state registry.
About these numbers
Every figure on this page comes from the NOAA Storm Prediction Center Local Storm Reports file, matched to reports within 25 miles of the city center. Reports are preliminary: they come from trained spotters, emergency managers, the public and mPING app submissions, and sizes are often estimated against a coin or ball. We do not adjust them. A roofer tagged Verified holds a license or registration we confirmed in a public registry. That tag says nothing about coverage, so ask whoever you pick for a current certificate of insurance before signing.
More Resources
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