El Paso, IL Hail Storm – March 2026

What Happened

A severe hail storm crossed the El Paso, Illinois metro on 2026-03-10 and continued into the night, producing a 4-inch peak hail estimate in the warning area. Radar confidence first climbed through the afternoon, then ground reports later confirmed much larger stones across central Illinois.

The first alert at 3:59 PM CDT carried a 1-inch hail estimate. By 4:45 PM CDT, dual-polarization radar was supporting 2.5-inch hail. The storm strengthened again around 5:19 PM CDT with a 3-inch estimate, then reached a 4-inch radar-derived hail size at 6:09 PM CDT. The larger radar estimates continued through the evening, with another 4-inch alert at 6:55 PM CDT and multiple 3-inch to 2-inch detections in between.

Spotter-verified reports showed the storm was producing much larger hail than the early warning values suggested. At 5:27 PM CDT, a report from Campus described hail around 4.5 inches in diameter near 2700 North Road and 3300 East Road. At 5:47 PM CDT, Darien reports placed a 4.8-inch stone near 75th Street and Cass Ave. By 6:23 PM CDT, a storm chaser report from just southwest of Kankakee described 5.2-inch hail. At 6:27 PM CDT and 6:30 PM CDT, additional reports from the Kankakee area described hail around 4.5 inches and 6 inches in diameter. One 6:28 PM CDT report from Osborn Ave in Kankakee documented a 6.14-inch hailstone and identified it as a candidate for the Illinois state record.

Later warning-area alerts still continued into the overnight hours, with 1-inch to 1.5-inch hail estimates reported after midnight and again near dawn. Spotter reports at 10:21 PM CDT, 10:31 PM CDT, 1:27 AM CDT, and 6:19 AM CDT added ground-truth support that hail continued to be observed well after the peak afternoon and evening period.

Damage Assessment

The field reports point to concentrated surface impact across Kankakee and nearby communities, with the largest stones tied to specific streets and neighborhoods rather than a broad, uniform swath. Reports from Campus, Darien, and the south and southeast sides of Kankakee included hail from 4.5 inches to more than 6 inches in diameter. Those stones are large enough to drive immediate roof, siding, gutter, and vehicle claims in the affected blocks.

The Osborn Ave report in Kankakee is the strongest ground observation in the event set. The stone was measured at 156 mm, or 6.14 inches, with a 16-inch circumference and a weight of 16.25 ounces. The report also noted the stone as a candidate for the Illinois state record. A separate Kankakee report at 6:30 PM CDT described hail around 6 inches in diameter in southeastern Kankakee. Another report from the south side of Kankakee placed hail around 4.5 inches there as well.

Radar and reports do not show a single clean corridor of damage confined to one neighborhood. They show repeated large hail across multiple communities, with the strongest field evidence centered in and around Kankakee. The warning area also carried several later radar and warning-only hail estimates near 1 inch to 2.5 inches, which indicates the storm remained organized after the largest ground reports were already in.

El Paso, IL Hail Storm – March 2026

NWS WARNING AREAS · 110

What Happened

Damage Assessment

Storm Details

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