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Environment | Gargantuan hail, destructive tornadoes: Climate…
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Thursday, March 26th 2026

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Gargantuan hail, destructive tornadoes: Climate change making Illinois storms more severe

Northern Illinois University professor Victor Gensini poses with a large hailstone he found near Kankakee on March 10, 2026, comparable in size to a tennis ball. Supercell storms across northern Illinois and northwest Indiana produced destructive tornadoes and large hail 2.5 inches in diameter and bigger, with some 5 to 6 inch stones possibly breaking a record of 4.75 inches set in 2015. (Victor Gensini/NIU Meteorology)
Northern Illinois University professor Victor Gensini poses with a large hailstone he found near Kankakee on March 10, 2026, comparable in size to a tennis ball. Supercell storms across northern Illinois and northwest Indiana produced destructive tornadoes and large hail 2.5 inches in diameter and bigger, with some 5 to 6 inch stones possibly breaking a record of 4.75 inches set in 2015. (Victor Gensini/NIU Meteorology)
Adriana Pérez is a general assignment and environment reporter for the Chicago Tribune. Photo taken on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
By | adperez@chicagotribune.com | Chicago Tribune
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The National Weather Service has received at least six reports of potential record-breaking hailstones in Illinois, ranging from 4.8 to 6 inches.
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