Rockford, IL · Storm history
Hail Reports in Rockford, Illinois — Last 90 Days
NOAA Storm Prediction Center logged 1 hail report within 25 miles of Rockford across 1 storm day, most recently on August 21, 2026. Source: SPC Local Storm Reports (preliminary, may be revised).
Data as of October 24, 2026 (last successful NOAA check). The newest report in the feed is from Oct 23, 2026. The 90-day log is SPC preliminary data. The county history (2017 to June 2026) is the NOAA Storm Events archive, 2014–June 2026; it has no storms after it ends.
- 1.00 inlargest hail near the city, last 90 days (quarter size)
- 31days with hail 1 in or larger in the county, 2014–June 2026
- 63days with 58+ mph thunderstorm wind, 2014–June 2026
- #56 of 209among the cities we cover, by hail days of 1 in or more
Has hail hit my Rockford roof since it was installed?
County-level hail reports for Rockford from the NOAA archive this page uses; a county report is not proof of damage at your Rockford address.
When does hail hit Rockford?
NOAA NCEI Storm Events, county level, 2014–June 2026
If insurance covers it, what do I pay in Rockford?
Only if the claim is approved. The ACV math is a straight-line example over a 25-year life; insurers writing Rockford policies use their own schedules, so check your policy.
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Hail near Rockford in the last 90 days
- 1.00 inLargest hail in 90 days (quarter size)
- 1Hail day near Rockford
- 1SPC report
- August 21, 2026Most recent event
Around Rockford, the NOAA Storm Prediction Center logged 1 hail report within 25 miles between August 21 and August 21, 2026, spread over 1 storm day. That day brought stones of 1″ or more, and 1 of the 1 Rockford reports with coordinates fell within 10 miles of the city center. In a typical year Rockford sees about 4 hail-producing storms.
Rockford's storm-climate context
Rockford endures one of the most punishing winter roofing climates in northern Illinois. The city averages 37.1 inches of snowfall annually, and the 1978-1979 season brought a crushing 74.5 inches, testing structural limits across the region. The record low of -31 F set on January 31, 2019 drives deep freeze-thaw cycling that cracks sealants, splits flashings, and lifts shingles along north-facing slopes. Summers bring convective violence: on July 5, 2003, a line of severe storms with high winds caused widespread damage on both the east and west sides of the city. A major flooding event in July 2024 further strained stormwater infrastructure and exposed low-slope roof drainage vulnerabilities.
Rockford's 148,655 residents (2020 census) support a large institutional employer base that drives commercial roofing demand: Rockford Public Schools leads with 4,075 employees, UW Health SwedishAmerican follows at 3,780, Mercy Health at 3,000, OSF Healthcare at 2,200, and the UPS Rockford Air Hub at 2,000. The city's aging housing stock and heavy annual snowfall create a steady residential replacement pipeline, while healthcare campus expansions have added commercial flat-roof inventory that must be maintained against the region's extreme winter loads.
How close the hail came
On August 21, 2026, a report fell just 7.4 miles from the Rockford city center, the nearest of 1 (1.00″ at 1 N Machesney Park). August 21, 2026 was the heaviest day around Rockford, with 1 report and a top stone of 1.00″. Stones of 1″ or more came on 1 of the 1 Rockford-area hail day.
| Distance from city center | Reports | Largest |
|---|---|---|
| Within 5 miles | 0 | — |
| Within 10 miles | 1 | 1.00″ |
| Within 25 miles | 1 | 1.00″ |
Distances are straight-line from the city center to each SPC report point; reports without coordinates are left out of the table.
Hail events near Rockford by date
August 21, 2026 1 report, hail up to 1.00″ (quarter size)
| Time (UTC) | Hail size | Location | Distance from Rockford |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2055 | 1.00″ | 1 N Machesney Park, Winnebago County | 7.4 mi |
The Rockford tables above list preliminary Local Storm Reports from the NOAA Storm Prediction Center. Sizes are reported hailstone diameters; times are UTC. Reports can be added or corrected for about a day after each event. A quiet log does not mean no hail: small or unreported events happen. The closest report in this window landed 7.4 miles from Rockford's center.
View the 1 Rockford-area report on a map
On the Rockford map, circle positions are the NOAA SPC report coordinates; tap a circle for the date and hail size.
Hail size: < 1″ 1–1.75″ ≥ 2″ not recorded
How severe was it? The NWS yardstick, applied to Rockford's reports
The National Weather Service calls hail severe at 1″ (quarter size) and significant at 2″ (hen-egg size). Scoring Rockford's 1 area report (filed in Winnebago County) against that scale: 1 of the Rockford reports met the severe 1″+ criterion — the size at which asphalt shingles start taking granule loss and bruising that shows up as leaks a season later. At these sizes, damage on a Rockford roof is rarely visible from the ground, and homeowners policies typically cover it when it is documented promptly.
Hail history in Rockford: the long picture
County-level NOAA records for the county behind Rockford, 2014–June 2026. Each figure shows its source. Storms after the archive ends are not in these numbers. Ranks count from 1, the highest.
Rockford against the 209 cities we cover
- #56of 209Days with hail 1 in or larger in Rockford: middle
- #46of 209Days with hail 1.75 in or larger (golf ball) in Rockford: top quarter
- #64of 209Days with 58+ mph thunderstorm wind in Rockford: middle
- #61of 209Tornadoes in Rockford: middle
- #181of 209Reported storm property damage in Rockford: bottom quarter
- #28of 209Share of homes built before 1980 in Rockford: top quarter
Hail events by year
| 2017 | 9 |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 20 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2023 | 11 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 8 |
| 2026* | 10 |
Years with no record show as 0. In its busiest full year (2020) Rockford's county logged 20 events; the whole span, 2017 to June 2026, holds 67.
2026 covers only January to June: NOAA's file ends there, so it is not counted as the worst year or in the yearly average.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, county level, 2017–2026Hail history at a glance
- 67Hail events in the county, since 2017 (NOAA)
- 3.00 inLargest hailstone on record
- Apr 17, 2026Last recorded event in the archive
Hail events in Rockford's county, since 2017: 67, or roughly 7 a year, topped by a 3.00″ stone. Set against that baseline, the 1 hail day near Rockford in the 90-day window above runs below the long-term average rate. Check your own Rockford address on the hail risk lookup.
Rockford's county logged fewer hail events than the Illinois median (80 per county since 2017), below the state's typical pace.
Three ways a storm reaches a roof
Hail
Rockford's county days with at least one report at that size. Largest stone: 3.00 in.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, 2014–June 2026Thunderstorm wind
63 Rockford's county days with 58+ mph
58 mph is the NWS severe threshold. Strongest gust on record in Rockford's county: 96 mph on May 17, 2017.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, 2014–June 2026Tornadoes
12 in Rockford's county
Strongest tornado in Rockford's county: EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita scale.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, 2014–June 2026Peak storm month
April
In Rockford's county, 54 of 242 hail, wind and tornado reports (22%) fell in April.
Source: NOAA Storm Events, 2014–June 2026Older homes
74.1% of Rockford homes built before 1980
About 50,000 of Rockford's 68,027 housing units (share times units, rounded). Median year built: 1962. Housing units, not roofs: many Rockford homes have been re-roofed since.
Source: Census ACS (Rockford city), 2019–2023Year-by-year table with the largest stone
| Year | Recorded hail events | Largest stone |
|---|---|---|
| 2026* | 10 | 2.25″ |
| 2025 | 8 | 1.50″ |
| 2024 | 2 | 1.50″ |
| 2023 | 11 | 2.00″ |
| 2022 | 3 | 1.50″ |
| 2020 busiest largest stone | 20 | 3.00″ |
| 2019 | 1 | 0.88″ |
| 2018 | 3 | 3.00″ |
| 2017 | 9 | 2.00″ |
NOAA Storm Events archive, Rockford's county. Years missing from the table have no record in the archive. * 2026 covers only January to June: NOAA's file ends there, so it is not counted as the worst year or in the yearly average.
2020 was the standout hail year in Rockford's county on both counts: the most recorded events (20) and the largest stone (3.00″).
In a market with repeat hail, impact-resistant Class 4 shingles often pay for themselves through insurer premium discounts — worth discussing with a Rockford roofer if a recent event tips you into a replacement.
Winnebago County fact sheet for Rockford homeowners
Housing age, federal disaster declarations and your state's claim deadlines in one place. All three come from public records, county level.
How old are the roofs? Homes in Winnebago County by decade built
| pre-1940 | 15.4% |
|---|---|
| 1940s | 6.4% |
| 1950s | 14.2% |
| 1960s | 12.8% |
| 1970s | 14.9% |
| 1980s | 10.7% |
| 1990s | 12.3% |
| 2000s | 10.9% |
| 2010s | 2.0% |
| 2020+ | 0.2% |
124,959 homes, median built in 1971. 63.8% date from before 1980 and 2.3% from 2010 on; 65.2% are owner-occupied. The most common decade is the pre-1940.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey · data as of ACS 5-yearWhat to do if your roof was in the hail path
- Read the yard first; stay off the roof. The closest report in the last 90 days sits 7.4 miles from the Rockford city center (1 N Machesney Park, August 21, 2026). Check Rockford downspouts for granule piles and gutters, vents and screens for dents.
- Photograph and date everything before repairs. For Rockford the worst day is August 21, 2026 with 1 report and a top stone of 1.00 in. Dated photos, a coin beside a hailstone and this NOAA log tie your loss to one storm day.
- Book a free inspection rather than guessing. The single hail day near Rockford reached 1 inch or more, yet from the ground a Rockford roof can look fine while bruising and granule loss sit on it. Only a roofer's written scope shows whether there is a claim.
- File on the policy's clock. Last hail day near Rockford: 65 days ago. Check the policy for your reporting window and file soon, while the log dates are fresh.
- Bring the written scope to the adjuster. Hand over the scope in writing: an adjuster working a Rockford claim then has the contractor's numbers. Step-by-step: the roof insurance claim guide.
Verified roofing contractors in Rockford
Contractors PickARoofer has already verified in Rockford. A badge on a Rockford contractor means we confirmed an active license or registration in a public registry. Ask any Rockford roofer for a current certificate of insurance before signing.
American Unlimited Roofing
VerifiedBufalo Contracting
VerifiedDagnon Building & Roofing
VerifiedHoneybee Roofing
VerifiedHuskie Exteriors Inc
VerifiedHail in Rockford — questions homeowners ask
When did hail last hit Rockford, IL?
The most recent NOAA hail report within 25 miles of Rockford is from August 21, 2026, with hail up to 1.00″.
How large was the hail near Rockford?
The largest hailstone reported near Rockford in the last 90 days measured 1.00″ — about quarter size. Rockford had 1 hail day of 1″ or more, the size where asphalt shingles start to bruise; the biggest came on August 21, 2026.
Does homeowners insurance cover hail damage in Rockford?
The latest hail day near Rockford was August 21, 2026, 65 days ago, a date a claim can point to. Standard homeowners policies generally cover sudden storm damage and not gradual wear. For a Rockford claim, document the damage before repairs, keep this NOAA log as proof of the August 21, 2026 event date, and read your own policy for its filing deadline: the policy sets that window, not a universal rule.
How often does hail hit the Rockford area?
In Rockford's county, NOAA's archive since 2017 shows 67 recorded hail events. Rockford averages about 7 a year, and its biggest stone on record measured 3.00″.
How close did hail get to Rockford in the last 90 days?
On August 21, 2026, 7.4 miles from the Rockford city center, 1.00 in. at 1 N Machesney Park: that is the nearest SPC report of the last 90 days.
Check your own ZIP in Rockford
The county figures above average over everything inside the county line. For a score tied to your Rockford address, run your ZIP through the hail risk lookup — Rockford ZIP codes include 61103, 61104, 61107, 61109, 61112.
Rockford neighborhoods — hail exposure varies by area
Hail paths track with storm cell movement, not city limits. If you're in Hawthorn Woods, Northside, West Rockford, Downtown Rockford or Oakwood, check your specific street against the report locations above — distance from Rockford's center is listed for each report.
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More resources
- Roofing contractors in Rockford
- Storm damage repair in Rockford
- Roof repair in Rockford
- Roof inspection in Rockford
- Insurance claim guide
- Roof replacement costs in Rockford
- Emergency roof repair
- All recent hail reports
- Hail risk lookup
Sources: NOAA Storm Prediction Center Local Storm Reports (last 90 days, preliminary) and the NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county of the city, 2014–June 2026); U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (housing). The Storm Events archive used here ends in 2026, so storms between that date and the start of the 90-day log are not shown. How we collect data. Are you a roofer in Rockford? See how requests reach contractors.
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How to cite this page
Free to quote with credit, under CC BY 4.0, no permission needed. The numbers are NOAA Storm Prediction Center preliminary reports: unverified, and not confirmed damage to any roof. This is not an official NOAA or NWS product.