Hail history in Rockford, IL
On average, NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Rockford on 3.0 days a year from 2016 to 2025, 2.5 of them with hail 1 inch or larger. NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Rockford on 67 days since 2010. The largest hail reported was 3.0 in, in 2020. 52 of those days had hail of 1 inch or larger. April has the most hail days, 15 since 2010. The most recent was August 21, 2026. NOAA also recorded high wind on 102 days, with gusts up to 96 mph.
Ranks #34 of 200 US cities for days with hail 1 inch or larger, 2016 to 2025.
- Hail days since 2010
- 67
- Largest hail
- 3.0 in
- Highest gust
- 96 mph
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
67 hail days within 15 miles since 2010, largest 3.0 in
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
Hail days by year
Bar chart of hail days per year, 2010 to 2026. 67 hail days in total; the most was 9 in 2017.
Hail days by month
Hail days by month since 2010: Jan 0, Feb 2, Mar 5, Apr 15, May 14, Jun 10, Jul 8, Aug 8, Sep 3, Oct 0, Nov 2, Dec 0.
Most recent hail days
| Date | Largest hail | Nearest report |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 21, 2026 | 1.0 in | 7.7 mi |
| Jun 24, 2026 | 1.0 in | 11.4 mi |
| Apr 17, 2026 | 1.0 in | 14.2 mi |
| Apr 15, 2026 | 1.0 in | 6.1 mi |
| Apr 14, 2026 | 1.75 in | 10.9 mi |
| Apr 2, 2026 | 1.0 in | 14.4 mi |
| Aug 16, 2025 | 1.0 in | 11.0 mi |
| Jul 10, 2025 | 1.5 in | 1.5 mi |
| May 16, 2025 | 1.0 in | 4.5 mi |
| May 15, 2025 | 1.0 in | 10.4 mi |
About this data
- Distances are from the center of Rockford, not from any one property. Look up a street address below for a single building.
- Reports come from trained spotters and the public, so they cluster near towns and roads.
- No report does not mean no hail. Hail can fall where no one is there to report it.
- This is not a damage or insurance assessment.
102 high-wind days within 15 miles since 2010, strongest gust 96 mph
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
Most recent high-wind days
| Date | Highest gust | Nearest report |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 3, 2026 | Not recorded | 13.2 mi |
| Jun 11, 2026 | 62 mph | 6.9 mi |
| Jun 10, 2026 | 58 mph | 12.0 mi |
| Apr 17, 2026 | 62 mph | 4.5 mi |
| Apr 15, 2026 | Not recorded | 9.7 mi |
| Apr 14, 2026 | Not recorded | 14.0 mi |
| Apr 2, 2026 | Not recorded | 11.2 mi |
| Mar 10, 2026 | Not recorded | 13.2 mi |
| Aug 16, 2025 | 64 mph | 10.3 mi |
| Jul 10, 2025 | 63 mph | 4.4 mi |
About this data
- Distances are from the center of Rockford, not from any one property. Look up a street address below for a single building.
- Reports come from trained spotters and the public, so they cluster near towns and roads.
- No report does not mean no hail. Hail can fall where no one is there to report it.
- Wind speed is the highest reported gust; some reports have no speed.
- This is not a damage or insurance assessment.
Gusts, tornadoes and hurricanes in Rockford
Estimated peak gusts
1 day since October 1, 2021 had an estimated peak gust of 58 mph or more at Rockford.
| Day | Estimated peak gust |
|---|---|
| Mar 13, 2026 | 50 mph or more |
| Dec 4, 2024 | 50 mph or more |
| Jul 22, 2022 | 50 mph or more |
| Mar 5, 2022 | 50 mph or more |
| Dec 15, 2021 | 58 mph or more |
Estimates: the highest gust of each storm day in NOAA’s hourly 2.5 km wind analysis (URMA), which fills in between weather stations. Analyses like this smooth out short thunderstorm gusts, so they are best for widespread wind (hurricanes, winter storms, high wind days); for thunderstorm wind, NOAA’s wind reports are the better record. Not a measurement at any building.
Tornadoes within 10 miles
NOAA recorded 20 tornadoes whose path came within 10 miles of Rockford since 1950; the strongest was rated EF4.
| Day | Rating | Path length | Closest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 3, 2025 | EF0 | 0.31 miles | 7.7 miles |
| Jul 15, 2024 | EF0 | 0.2 miles | 6.4 miles |
| Jul 15, 2024 | EF0 | 1.2 miles | 6.6 miles |
| Jul 12, 2023 | EF0 | 2.46 miles | 7.9 miles |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF1 | 8.63 miles | 4.9 miles |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF1 | 5.79 miles | 0.5 miles |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF1 | 27.51 miles | 7 miles |
| Aug 10, 2020 | EF1 | 9.18 miles | 2.6 miles |
Show all 20Show fewer
| Day | Rating | Path length | Closest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 10, 2020 | EF0 | 1.58 miles | 2.3 miles |
| Jun 28, 2017 | EF1 | 5.9 miles | 6.8 miles |
| Apr 9, 2015 | EF0 | 2.84 miles | 7.2 miles |
| May 22, 2011 | EF1 | 2.73 miles | 9.4 miles |
| May 22, 2011 | EF1 | 0.5 miles | 9.2 miles |
| May 22, 2011 | EF1 | 29.14 miles | 5 miles |
| Nov 22, 2010 | EF2 | 18.1 miles | 6.9 miles |
| Apr 29, 1991 | EF0 | 0.1 miles | 6.9 miles |
| Sep 28, 1986 | EF0 | 0.2 miles | 7 miles |
| Jun 11, 1967 | EF1 | 0.1 miles | 5.2 miles |
| Apr 21, 1967 | EF4 | 25.5 miles | 7.8 miles |
| Aug 30, 1958 | EF2 | 0.1 miles | 4.2 miles |
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center. Ratings before 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
No hurricane or tropical storm in NOAA's records brought modeled tropical-storm-force winds (39 mph) to Rockford.
Modeled from NOAA’s best tracks for open, flat ground; not measurements. How we model hurricane winds
56 radar hail days within 15 miles since 2020, largest 2.75 in or more
Source: NOAA MRMS radar (MESH), from October 14, 2020. Estimates of the largest hail in each 1 km cell, not measurements.
35 days with radar hail 1 inch or larger, 5 at 2 inches or larger, within 15 miles of Rockford’s center.
Biggest radar hail days
- 0.75 in+
- 1.0 in+
- 1.5 in+
- 2.0 in+
- 2.5 in+
- 3.0 in+
Most recent radar hail days
| Date | Largest radar estimate |
|---|---|
| Oct 13, 2026 | 0.75 in or more |
| Sep 26, 2026 | 1.25 in or more |
| Aug 21, 2026 | 1.5 in or more |
| Jul 3, 2026 | 1.0 in or more |
| Jun 25, 2026 | 0.75 in or more |
| Jun 24, 2026 | 1.0 in or more |
Storms in Rockford
Winnebago County lies in the Rock River Hill Country, which a 1959 Illinois State Water Survey study listed among the regions of Illinois with relatively high hail frequency.1,2 That study found more than 40 percent of the Rock River Hill Country's annual hail falls in summer, compared with a statewide average of 26 percent.2 Winnebago County's 2014 hazard mitigation plan counts 132 hailstorms in the county in NCDC records since 1974 and says they occur nearly every year in late spring and early summer.1
Notable storms
- March 31, 2023On March 31, 2023, an EF-1 tornado touched down about 1 mile southeast of downtown Rockford and crossed just under 6 miles of the city, where trees fell onto houses and roofs took mostly minor damage. A second EF-1 tornado tracked almost 9 miles from Rockford's north side through Machesney Park to Roscoe, tearing parts of roofs off a couple of homes.3,4,5
- March 5, 2022A line of storms brought an 81 mph gust measured at the Rockford airport, and tree limbs, power lines and a few full trees came down in Rockford.6
- April 7, 2020Evening storms dropped hail about 3 inches in diameter in the village of Winnebago and 2-inch hail along I-39 near New Milford. A trained spotter measured 1.25-inch hail at the Rockford airport.7
- May 2, 2018The strongest storms of the day across northern Illinois produced hail 2 to 3 inches in diameter near Rockford.8
- April 12, 2014On the morning of April 12, 2014, hail from 1 inch (quarter size) to 1.75 inches (golf ball size) fell across Rockford, including golf ball size hail on Wyoming Street.9
Warnings and alerts
The Winnebago County Emergency Notification System calls residents by telephone with emergency information, and cell phone and VoIP numbers can be registered for it at winalerts.org.10
Sources
- 1. Winnebago County, via Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security: Winnebago County, Illinois Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan (2014 Update)
- 2. Illinois State Water Survey: Hail Climatology of Illinois (Report of Investigation 38)
- 3. NWS Chicago: March 31, 2023: Third Largest Tornado Outbreak on Record in the U.S. Produces 22 Tornadoes in the Local Area
- 4. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Tornado, Winnebago County, March 31, 2023
- 5. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Tornado, Winnebago County, March 31, 2023
- 6. NWS Chicago: March 5-6, 2022: Potent Early Spring Storm System Brings Severe Storms and Strong Winds
- 7. NWS Chicago: Thunderstorms Produced Large Hail April 7th
- 8. NWS Chicago: May 2, 2018 Severe Event
- 9. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Winnebago County, April 12, 2014
- 10. Winnebago County Sheriff's Office: Emergency Notification System
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Questions about hail in Rockford
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
- How often does it hail in Rockford?
- NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Rockford on 3.0 days a year on average from 2016 to 2025, 2.5 of them with hail 1 inch or larger. Since 2010 it recorded 67 hail days.
- When is hail season in Rockford?
- April has the most hail days within 15 miles of the center of Rockford, 15 since 2010, then May (14) and June (10).
- What is the largest hail recorded in Rockford?
- 3.0 in, in 2020: the largest hail NOAA recorded within 15 miles of the center of Rockford since 2010.
- When did it last hail in Rockford?
- NOAA's most recent hail report within 15 miles of the center of Rockford is from August 21, 2026, with hail up to 1.0 in reported 7.7 miles from the center. Data through November 1, 2026.