Illinois Got
Absolutely Rocked

A historic severe weather outbreak carved a path from Texas to Michigan, with Illinois and Indiana taking a direct hit from softball-sized hail, violent winds, and confirmed tornadoes overnight.

Published: March 11, 2026Data Source: Storm Spanker MCP + NWSStates Affected: IL · IN · MI · MO · KS · TX · OK + 17 more

100+ Verified Reports

6" Largest Hail (IL)

10+ Tornadoes IL/IN

77 kt Peak Wind (MO)

27K Power Outages

24 States Impacted

On the evening of Tuesday, March 10th, 2026, a historic severe weather outbreak tore through the American heartland — and Illinois got the worst of it. What forecasters had flagged days earlier as an "Enhanced Risk" event delivered on every threat: tornado touchdowns, record-setting hailstones, and 70+ mph winds that left entire communities without power, with emergency declarations filed and NWS damage teams heading out at first light Wednesday.

The Setup

Meteorologists saw this one coming. The Storm Prediction Center had flagged an Enhanced Risk (Level 3 of 5) for severe thunderstorms across northeast Missouri, southeast Iowa, northern and central Illinois, and northwest Indiana — with a corridor that would see every mode of severe weather: supercell tornadoes, large hail, and destructive straight-line winds.

A large-scale storm system tracking eastward across the central U.S. pulled Gulf moisture northward while strong vertical wind shear in the atmosphere created the perfect recipe for organized, long-track storm cells. The warm front boundary across northern Illinois became the focal point — and storm chasers were already on the road before the first storms fired.

"We're talking tennis ball to baseball-size in diameter. This is just a sampling of what this storm produced."

— AccuWeather Storm Chaser Tony Laubach, reporting live from Campus, IL

Illinois: Ground Zero

Illinois was the epicenter of this outbreak, recording over 100 storm events in a single day — with 91 confirmed hail reports, 5 damaging wind reports, and 4 confirmed tornadoes just within state lines. But the raw numbers don't tell the full story.

The most extreme damage unfolded in Kankakee County, where a supercell that tracked from near Pontiac northeast toward Kankakee spawned at least one major tornado, which touched down near the Kankakee County Fairgrounds at approximately 6:19 p.m. and crossed the Kankakee River into the village of Aroma Park — demolishing the Fairview Courts Motel and damaging dozens of structures.

The same storm system dropped what may be a new Illinois state hail record: a 6-inch hailstone near Kankakee, confirmed by the National Weather Service. Earlier reports from storm chasers on the ground were circulating about a possible 5-inch stone, with video shared widely on social media of hailstones nearly the size of people's hands shattering car windshields and pounding pavement.

⚠ Kankakee County Damage Summary

• Tornado: Touched down near Kankakee Fairgrounds at ~6:19 PM, crossed Kankakee River into Aroma Park

• Record Hail: 6-inch hailstone confirmed — potential Illinois state record

• Structural Damage: Fairview Courts Motel demolished; buildings on fire on 300 block of Oak Street

• Vehicle Damage: Sheriff's squad vehicles had windows shattered by hail; widespread windshield damage to civilian cars

• Power Outages: ~27,000 ComEd customers affected; ~4,000 still without power by 5 AM Wednesday

• Emergency Declaration: Kankakee County Emergency Operations Center activated; state disaster declaration filed

• Road Closures: US Route 45 and 52 closed from River Road to I-57 Exit 308 due to downed trees and wires

• 911 Overwhelmed: Dispatch center flooded with calls during storm

Storm Timeline: How It Unfolded

~4:50 PM — Pontiac, IL

First tornadoes of the day form near Pontiac. Storm chaser Aaron Jayjack reports a tornado in progress northeast of Pontiac. Storm chaser Reed Timmer shares video from inside the storm near the same area. AccuWeather's live feed goes wide with coverage.

~5:30–6:00 PM — Campus, IL & Suburbs

AccuWeather's Tony Laubach reports live from Campus, IL measuring baseball-to-tennis-ball-sized hail. A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is issued for Cook County (Chicago) and DuPage County with ping-pong ball to golf ball hail reported in Woodridge, Downers Grove, Darien, and Westmont.

~6:15–7:00 PM — Kankakee, IL

A massive supercell reaches Kankakee County. A tornado touches down near the Fairgrounds at 6:19 PM. The NWS issues a tornado warning citing "softball-sized hail" and confirms the tornado tracks into Aroma Park. A 6-inch hailstone is found — potentially a new Illinois state record. Buildings catch fire. The county files an emergency disaster declaration.

~8:00–9:00 PM — NW Indiana

The same storm system, or a closely related supercell, crosses into northwest Indiana. A confirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado is spotted near North Judson (10 miles west of Knox) moving east at 20 mph. LaPorte County is placed under a Tornado Warning. Multiple EF0 tornadoes confirmed in Knox and North Judson, IN area — at least 10 tornado reports total across IN.

Late Night — Lake Village, IN

Tragedy strikes in Lake Village, Indiana. Officials confirm 2 fatalities — an elderly couple killed after a tornado struck their home in the 8000-block of 600 W. Several others were seriously injured. This becomes the deadliest event of the outbreak.

1:00–7:00 AM — Ongoing, Overnight

Storm cells continue pushing east and southeast. Significant hail reports roll in across Missouri (up to 3.5"), Michigan (2.75" near Hudsonville and Jenison), Kansas (Overland Park hit multiple times), and Iowa. Wind gusts of 70–77 mph are recorded in Dundas IL, Salem IL, and Bucklin MO.

State-by-State Storm Totals

🌪 Illinois

Total Events 100+

Hail Reports 91

Tornadoes 4 confirmed

Peak Hail 6.0"

Peak Wind 70 mph (Dundas)

🌪 Indiana

Total Events 19

Tornadoes 10 confirmed

Fatalities 2 (Lake Village)

Peak Hail 1.0"

Peak Wind 60 mph

🌩 Michigan

Total Events 16

Hail Reports 16

Peak Hail 2.75" (Hudsonville)

Worst Area Jenison

🌩 Missouri

Total Events 50+

Hail Reports 49

Peak Hail 3.5"

Peak Wind 77 mph (Bucklin)

Worst Area KC Metro / Raytown

🌧 Kansas

Total Events 46

Hail Reports 38

Peak Hail 1.5"

Worst Area Overland Park

🌧 Texas

Peak Hail 2.0" (Comfort)

Peak Wind 67 mph (Decatur)

Tornado Near Abilene

Storm Chasers on the Ground

This outbreak drew some of the best-known storm chasers in the country. If you want the raw footage and real-time experience of what happened on the ground in Illinois and Indiana, these are the names to follow:

Alex Bartholomew— Close-range Kankakee intercept, lost glass & grille

Aaron Jayjack— First tornado report NE of Pontiac, IL

Ryan Hall, Y'all— Live coverage + 5" hail report shared nationwide

Tony Laubach (AccuWeather) — Baseball hail measurement, Campus IL

Brandon Copic — Tornado footage obtained by FOX Weather

Illinois Storm Chasers LLC— Multi-update forecast coverage, all of IL

Alex Bartholomew's tweet — "Cannot believe this just happened. Close range intercept near Kankakee, Illinois. Lost glass and grille." — went viral overnight and captures exactly how intense this event was even for professionals.

What This Means for Roofing Contractors

Let's be direct: this is one of the most significant hail and tornado outbreaks in the Midwest in recent memory, and the damage footprint is enormous. Roofing contractors across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, and Kansas are looking at weeks — possibly months — of roof replacement work.

In Kankakee County alone, with confirmed softball-to-baseball-sized hail and a direct tornado strike, virtually every structure in the storm path has damage. Hail of that size doesn't just ding shingles — it destroys them. Gutters, siding, windows, HVAC units, and decking are all in play.

The Kansas City metro area (Overland Park, Raytown, Prairie Village, Spring Hill) was hammered with multiple hail cells carrying 1"–1.5" stones in rapid succession overnight. That's a massive suburban coverage area with high home values and strong insurance penetration.

Michigan's Jenison and Hudsonville area absorbed repeated hits of 2"–2.75" hail — quarter to baseball range — which guarantees widespread roof and siding claims.

"The insurance claim window most roofers miss is right after a major outbreak — homeowners don't always know they have damage until a contractor knocks on the door."

— Storm intelligence insight, Spankthestorm.app/hail-map

The Roofing Opportunity Is Now

If you're a roofing contractor in any of the affected markets — especially Illinois, northwest Indiana, metro Kansas City, or west Michigan — the clock is already ticking. Most homeowners won't file a claim, or even inspect their roof, until someone tells them to. That someone should be you.