Illinois Shatters State Record as Massive 5-Inch Hailstone Discovered Northwest of Buckingham During Explosive Storm Outbreak
BUCKINGHAM, ILLINOIS — In the wake of a violent severe storm outbreak, an astonishing discovery has confirmed what many storm observers suspected: Illinois has a new state record hailstone.
A hailstone measuring five inches in diameter was found northwest of Buckingham, officially marking the largest hailstone ever documented in Illinois history.
A Record-Breaking Measurement
Photos show the enormous hailstone being measured with precision calipers, registering just over five inches across at its widest point. The stone’s irregular, jagged edges and layered structure indicate prolonged cycling within an extremely powerful updraft — the kind typically found in intense supercell thunderstorms.
Five-inch hail is roughly comparable to the size of a grapefruit, capable of causing catastrophic damage to:
- Vehicles
- Roofs and siding
- Windows
- Crops
Where It Happened
The record hailstone was located northwest of Buckingham, a small community in northeastern Illinois. The discovery comes amid a broader severe weather event that produced strong thunderstorms across parts of the state.
Buckingham sits in Kankakee County, and the surrounding region experienced intense storm cores capable of supporting very large hail production.
How Rare Is 5-Inch Hail?
Five-inch hailstones are extremely rare in Illinois. Hail of this size requires:
- Strong, persistent rotating updrafts
- High instability
- Sufficient wind shear to keep stones suspended long enough to grow
Storms capable of producing such hail are often also associated with tornado potential, underscoring the severity of the outbreak.
Visual Evidence
Images from the field show the enormous hailstone filling an entire hand, with deeply textured lobes and muddy debris embedded within — evidence of violent impacts on the ground.
The caliper measurement confirms the five-inch diameter, solidifying its place in Illinois weather history.
Damage Likely Significant
Hailstones of this magnitude can:
- Punch through roofing materials
- Shatter car windshields
- Strip bark from trees
- Destroy crops in minutes
Residents in and around the Buckingham area may be assessing damage well into the coming days.
A Historic Severe Weather Moment
Illinois has seen large hail events before, but this confirmed five-inch stone officially sets a new benchmark for the state.
Severe weather across the Midwest has already been active this season, and this record-breaking hailstone highlights just how explosive some of these springtime supercells can become.
ChicagoMusicGuide.com will continue tracking developments from this historic Illinois severe weather event and any additional reports of extreme hail or storm damage.