Fithian, IL Hail Storm – June 2026

A severe hail storm tracked through Fithian, IL on June 16, 2026, producing 2-inch stones and a sequence of radar-detected and spotter-verified impacts in late afternoon and early evening.

What Happened

The National Weather Service issued 39 alerts for the Fithian area between 3:38 PM CDT and 8:11 PM CDT. Dual-polarization radar detected repeated hail signatures beginning with a radar-detected alert at 3:52 PM CDT and continuing through early evening. Radar-derived hail reports flagged multiple size pulses between about 4:30 PM CDT and 6:30 PM CDT.

Field observers provided multiple spotter-verified observations across the path. Around 3:52 PM CDT a viewer submitted a photo of oblong, golf ball sized hail. At 3:51 PM CDT an observer noted ping-pong sized stones along I-74 west of Ogden. A photo at 4:03 PM CDT showed two large hailstones in hand. At 5:15 PM CDT two photos from Van Buren State Park documented at least golf-ball size hail. At 5:45 PM CDT a spotter-corrected report referenced a location 1 NNE of Pokagon. At 6:12 PM CDT observers photographed and measured a 2.17-inch hailstone and described a mix of ping-pong to golf-ball sized stones in the same area.

Radar and spotter reports overlap across several local corridors. Dual-polarization radar alerts centered on the west-to-east travel corridor through Fithian and adjacent rural roads. NWS warning-only alerts accompanied multiple radar detections and spotter submissions through 8:11 PM CDT as the storm system weakened.

Damage Assessment

Photographs and measured stones indicate direct surface impact across park, roadside, and rural property locations. The 6:12 PM CDT photograph shows a measured 2.17-inch stone. Multiple mPING and spotter submissions reported half-dollar and larger stones in pockets along the storm track. Van Buren State Park had photographic evidence of at least golf-ball sized hail at about 5:15 PM CDT. Observers along I-74 west of Ogden reported ping-pong sized hail earlier in the sequence.

Reports cluster near known travel routes and parkland. Several half-dollar size reports appeared between roughly 4:25 PM CDT and 7:33 PM CDT in and around small towns north and east of Fithian. The correction issued at 5:45 PM CDT for a report 1 NNE of Pokagon shifts one confirmed observation slightly south of the initial call. Photo-verified measurements and multiple independent mPING entries provide ground-truth where radar detections intersected populated roads and recreational areas.

Where photos or measured stones exist, expect localized vehicle denting and surface pitting on exposed equipment consistent with ping-pong to golf-ball impacts. No broad roof-failure reports are present in the field logs supplied. Damage evidence concentrates on photographed measurement points and adjacent corridors rather than across the entire NWS warning area.