Hail in Bureau County, IL
Hail in Bureau County regularly reaches sizes that can wreck roofs and total vehicles. NOAA radar has confirmed 12 hail events of 1 inch or larger in Bureau County since 2025, the largest 2.8″ (baseball) on March 10, 2026. The most recent confirmed hail was July 3, 2026.
Did hail hit your exact address?
This page covers the whole area. Enter your address to see what NOAA radar detected over your specific roof - free, in seconds.
About Bureau County, IL
Bureau County sits in north-central Illinois on the flat to gently rolling Illinois River prairie near Princeton. Midsummer storms can intensify into supercells and drop stones to baseball size when a sharp boundary meets the warm, humid air over the corn belt. The KDVN radar at the Quad Cities provides coverage from roughly 56 miles to the west, a range at which its lowest scans begin to ride above the surface here.
The hail record for Bureau County, IL
The worst on record here, 2.8″, lands well past the roughly 1-inch point where asphalt shingles can begin to sustain damage.
Hail is a recurring threat in Bureau County, with 12 confirmed events on record since 2025.
This year has run hot: 7 confirmed events in 2026 already, ahead of the recent pace.
Common questions
How often does it hail in Bureau County?
NOAA radar has confirmed 12 severe hail events (1 inch or larger) in the Bureau County area since 2025.
When is hail season in Bureau County?
Hail in Bureau County is concentrated in July, within a season that runs spring into early summer.
What's the largest hail recorded in Bureau County?
Radar confirmed 2.8-inch hail, about baseball size, on March 10, 2026.
Does homeowner's insurance cover hail damage?
Hail is a covered peril under most standard homeowner's policies (typically HO-3), subject to your deductible. Whether you have replacement-cost or actual-cash-value coverage makes a big difference in what's paid out. Your declarations page will say which.
Has Bureau County had hail big enough to total a roof?
2.8″ hail is in the range where damage can be severe enough to warrant a full roof replacement on standard asphalt shingles. Whether a roof is actually totaled depends on its material and age, how intense the storm was at your specific address, and your insurer's inspection. Hail size alone doesn't decide it.
How do I know if my roof was damaged by hail?
Common signs are granules collecting in gutters and downspouts, bruised or cracked shingles, and dents on soft metals like vents, flashing, and gutter tops. A lot of hail damage isn't visible from the ground, so a professional inspection is the reliable check.
Should I file a hail claim or pay out of pocket?
It depends on the damage versus your deductible. At the 2.8″ sizes seen here, damage often exceeds a typical deductible, which can make a claim worthwhile, but get a repair estimate first to compare, and keep in mind that filing can affect future premiums.
Recent confirmed hail near Bureau County, IL
What this means for your home
Don't overlook vehicle damage
Hail at the 2.8″ sizes Bureau County has seen also dents vehicles, cracks glass, and chips paint. Document car damage alongside your roof before any repairs. Both can be part of the same claim.
If you were just hit
With recent hail in Bureau County, you're still in the window to document and report it. Photograph any damage, note the storm date, confirm what radar detected at your address, and review your policy's reporting requirements. Deadlines vary.
Read anything before you sign it
Some contractors ask storm-hit homeowners to sign an "assignment of benefits," which can hand control of your insurance claim to them. Read it closely. You can document and file a claim yourself without giving that up.
Document before you repair
If you suspect hail damage, photograph it and note the storm's date before making any repairs. Undocumented or already-fixed damage is much harder to claim later.
Get more than one estimate
After a damaging storm, reputable local roofers get busy and out-of-town crews flood in. Get multiple written estimates and verify licensing and local references before signing anything.
Claims have deadlines
Policies set a deadline for hail-damage claims, and state law may also apply. Windows range from months to several years depending on your state and policy. Knowing the exact date hail hit your address helps you file on time.
Before you call your insurer
Get the radar evidence for your address.
A NOAA Radar Evidence Report documents exactly what federal radar recorded at your address - hail size, date, and signature - in a formatted PDF you can attach to a claim. Built entirely from public NOAA data.
Events are NOAA/NWS Severe Thunderstorm Warnings with confirmed hail ≥ 1 inch, matched to this county by the warning centroid. Federal public-domain data. A confirmed event indicates radar-detected hail over the area, not a guarantee of damage to any specific property.