“A real beast” of hail that dropped in Kankakee earlier this year is officially the state’s largest recorded hailstone.
The hailstone — measuring 6.6 inches in diameter and weighing 1.2 pounds — fell into a Kankakee backyard during a severe round of storms that also spawned 12 tornadoes back in March. Climatologists with Northern Illinois University collected the stone and brought it back to their lab to measure and preserve it.
At the time, meteorologists suspected that the stone handily broke Illinois’ previous record-setting stone collected in June 2015 that measured 4.75 inches in diameter.
On Tuesday, a report from the State Climate Extremes Committee officially confirmed the new record. That committee assembles whenever a potential record-breaking weather event happens, like after a super cold day or torrential downpour. Committee members include local, regional and national climatologists.
Trent Ford, the Illinois state climatologist who led the committee, said even though the hail that dropped in March was clearly massive, it’s critical to gather experts to go over the evidence before declaring an official record.
“It may seem like a formality, but it’s still an important process to go through,” Ford said. “Just because there are pictures of large stones on social media doesn’t mean we can simply believe the record was broken.”
Illinois officially has a new state hail record! ⛈️ A colossal hailstone, measuring 6.603 inches in diameter, was confirmed by the SCEC following a storm on March 10, 2026, near Kankakee, IL. It reached historic size, weight, and volume! Learn more: https://t.co/rToflKSy3q pic.twitter.com/nukBRD9he3
— NOAA NCEI (@NOAANCEI) September 1, 2026
So far, 2026 has been a banner year for extreme weather in Illinois. Over 200 tornadoes have touched down — far surpassing the last record year for twisters. It’s also been an especially wet summer with intense flooding.
“It’s probably been the most severe year for weather in recent memory,” he said. “Going forward, 2026 will stand out as a record for extreme weather.”
Part of the problem, Ford said, is that climate change is causing heavier rainfall from thunderstorms and generating more intense heat and humidity.
But it’s not as simple to explain the large hailstones and spike in tornadoes.
“With continuing global warming, it’s likely that we could see more conditions that create extreme weather like tornadoes and hail,” Ford said. “But the intensity this year is far and away more severe than what we’d see from climate change alone. … Climate change certainly plays a role, but better research is needed to draw a connection and to see if we can predict whether there will be more severe years.”
There are several key ingredients needed for severe weather. Heat and humidity are some. Big drafts of wind at different speeds and directions also help create the unstable atmosphere for tornadoes and hail, Ford explained.
“And those ingredients have come together more frequently over Illinois this year, more than any other state,” he said. “Why Illinois, why not others? It’s all luck.”
Ford acknowledged that luck is an unsatisfying reason. He hopes and expects future research will provide more clarity.