March 10th, 2026 Severe Threat

[frostfern]

Copious small hail (covering the ground up to 1”) and major flash flooding in downtown Grand Rapids.  This elevated supercell also produced the biggest gravity wave signature I have ever seen on radar.  Too bad it was dark.

[TheNiño]

41 minutes ago, MidwestChaser said:

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL  
1135 PM CDT TUE MAR 10 2026  
   
.TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON  
   
.DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE.  
  
            ..REMARKS..  
  
0630 PM     HAIL             1 SE KANKAKEE           41.11N 87.84W  
03/10/2026  E6.00 INCH       KANKAKEE           IL   PUBLIC             
  
            PHOTO SHOWS HAILSTONE APPROXIMATELY 6 INCHES   
            IN DIAMETER IN SOUTHEASTERN KANKAKEE. TIME   
            ESTIMATED BY RADAR.   
  

Wouldn’t this be the largest hailstone ever recorded in Illinois by over an inch?? Correct me if I’m wrong.

[RCNYILWX]

Wouldn’t this be the largest hailstone ever recorded in Illinois by over an inch?? Correct me if I’m wrong.

Yes, the current record is Minooka, IL on June 10, 2015 at 4.75". I actually happened to be the warning operator that day and took part in the committee with LOT, NCEI, MRCC, and the IL state climatologist to confirm the record.

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[TheNiño]

3 minutes ago, RCNYILWX said:

Yes, the current record is Minooka, IL on June 10, 2015 at 4.75". I actually happened to be the warning operator that day and took part in the committee with LOT, NCEI, MRCC, and the IL state climatologist to confirm the record.

Sent from my SM-S936U using Tapatalk
 

Pretty cool. Sorry you no longer hold the record (I know this one isn’t confirmed yet), but let’s hope this one doesn’t get beat. Good grief I can’t imagine the noise and damage 6in hail would do. Feel bad for any people or animals that had to endure that.

[RCNYILWX]

Pretty cool. Sorry you no longer hold the record (I know this one isn’t confirmed yet), but let’s hope this one doesn’t get beat. Good grief I can’t imagine the noise and damage 6in hail would do. Feel bad for any people or animals that had to endure that.

What's crazy is that we already had a 5" candidate that would also break the record and then got the 6" report. That's one of the most intense thunderstorms on record in IL. Twice setting new state hail records (likely) with a significant tornado just south of the giant hail. Plains type stuff. Definitely feel for everyone affected down there.

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[KeenerWx]

Still cellular, but slowly getting more information locally. Damage and videos show probably a few hundred yards to noticeable impact and probably less than half of a mile from considerable damage reported. Also replayed the video I took while coming out from shelter to check on the situation*. The tornado is very audibly noticeable. Boring video because it’s pitch black, but features constant roar of wind and a suction sound as the door to my patio shuts. 
 

*I’m dumb for coming out of shelter to check. It was a chaotic environment featuring me, spouse, an elderly grandparent we are caretaking, 3 dogs & 3 cats. From the  moment power cut, I lost ability to monitor radar. Not even cell data would work. The couplet was clearly headed for us, and I did my best to estimate it the time it would take to clear. I was too focused on alleviating the chaos with an all clear. Lessons learned. First time I felt genuine threat from a tornado. Nerves still fried and I generally love the spicy booms. 

[TheNiño]

Sounds like you did ok brother. We all know what to do during a tornado when we’re sitting on the couch in clear weather. And it’s easy to judge when we are safely watching videos away from the danger. When it actually happens IRL it’s so much different and I know from experience. I also regret some of  my decisions when I was in one. I hope you’re all safe man glad you’re ok. Take a breather, and I’m being serious here, play some Tetris (an actual proven way to help with trauma right after experiencing it). You’re not dumb. When shtf our brains go to mush. You did what you could under stress and pressure and it sounds like you’re all ok that’s what matters. You did good man. I’m sorry you experienced this though.

[King James]

Tornado passed very very close to me. Maybe 5 minutes down the road. Wild they turned the sirens off


I’m basically where the word “Momence” in on the map, I live off 1

[A-L-E-K]

gonna be heartbreaking if our hot start severe season mirrors our winter and pulls up lame in april

 

 

[A-L-E-K]

 

 

[Chicago WX]

3 hours ago, KeenerWx said:

Still cellular, but slowly getting more information locally. Damage and videos show probably a few hundred yards to noticeable impact and probably less than half of a mile from considerable damage reported. Also replayed the video I took while coming out from shelter to check on the situation*. The tornado is very audibly noticeable. Boring video because it’s pitch black, but features constant roar of wind and a suction sound as the door to my patio shuts. 
 

*I’m dumb for coming out of shelter to check. It was a chaotic environment featuring me, spouse, an elderly grandparent we are caretaking, 3 dogs & 3 cats. From the  moment power cut, I lost ability to monitor radar. Not even cell data would work. The couplet was clearly headed for us, and I did my best to estimate it the time it would take to clear. I was too focused on alleviating the chaos with an all clear. Lessons learned. First time I felt genuine threat from a tornado. Nerves still fried and I generally love the spicy booms. 

I feel you. Probably only the second time in my life I felt anxious during a storm (first was Nov 2013 in the LAF). Things happened so quickly here. Watching the radar and thought the core of the cell would miss me to the northwest. Then it developed and right turned. Told my gf to grab the dogs and shelter. Called my dad to tell him to get into the basement. Of course I go out in the back to see it unfolding. Could see (and hear) the rotation/tornado to my south, which I'm guessing was when it first dropped here. My viewpoint wasn't great being in the city, but I had enough to see things get going. Took some video, but it doesn't really show as much. But the hail..just incredible. I posted the photo of a 4" stone here, but there may have been bigger. But when softballs are falling from the sky, you can't be choosy.  

[A-L-E-K]

jelly^

glad you're ok and amazing how real this one got for a few of our regulars

[King James]

Biggest one I found in my yard

[A-L-E-K]

dumb ass dog thinks it's a treat

[King James]

That particular dog is very dumb lol

[A-L-E-K]

the best kind of dog imo

[Chicago WX]

Hopefully these have loaded. Posted a few videos to my x account. First one is the hail. Make sure sound is on. Somehow that pool cover made out completely unscathed. 

Second 2 videos are looking south where the tornado developed.

https://x.com/PostalWeather/status/2031699162455060554

https://x.com/PostalWeather/status/2031700079694712924

[A-L-E-K]

2 minutes ago, Chicago WX said:

Hopefully these have loaded. Posted a few videos to my x account. First one is the hail. Somehow that pool cover made out completely unscathed. 

 

 

 

def a blessing that this all time hail event happened before budding/leaf out

[Chicago WX]

Just now, A-L-E-K said:

def a blessing that this all time hail event happened before budding/leaf out

Absolutely. It knocked down a ton of branches though. 

[IWXwx]

5 minutes ago, Chicago WX said:

Hopefully these have loaded. Posted a few videos to my x account. First one is the hail. Somehow that pool cover made out completely unscathed. 

https://x.com/PostalWeather/status/2031699162455060554

https://x.com/PostalWeather/status/2031700079694712924

I think someone already mentioned this, but your shingles are toast.

[Chicago WX]

1 minute ago, IWXwx said:

I think someone already mentioned this, but your shingles are toast.

lol, yeah. Roofers gonna be making some big money around here. Alas, needed new gutters anyways. 

[King James]

Just put on a new roof two summers ago

[Jackstraw]

Watched that storm on HiRes Sat throughout its life and that was the most impressive sustained updraft with intense rotation up through 50-60k ft I've seen in our sub. I'm also curious how that early lake breeze that moved inland and stalled right around the IKK area affected it. That storm sure looked like it got rooted into that stalled outflow boundary that collided with the warm front. Some extra enhancement there?

Thats a rare updraft for even TX hail country to be juggling 5-6 inchers 5 miles in the air. Truly epic updraft.

[IWXwx]

Someone mentioned last night that they shut the sirens off. That is the typical procedure. Once a tornado warning is issued, they sound sound the sirens, usually for 2-3 minutes, depending on the jurisdiction, then shut down. Another misnomer is that they sound them when the threat has passed. The sirens will sometimes be sounded a second time if it's a long leashed warning, say 15 minutes or more before the tornado actually gets close to the siren's warning area.

As someone who used to work on them, you don't want to hear that for 15-30 minutes if you live near the siren.

[IWXwx]

3 minutes ago, Jackstraw said:

Watched that storm on HiRes Sat throughout its life and that was the most impressive sustained updraft with intense rotation up through 50-60k ft I've seen in our sub. I'm also curious how that early lake breeze that moved inland and stalled right around the IKK area affected it. That storm sure looked like it got rooted into that stalled outflow boundary that collided with the warm front. Some extra enhancement there?

Thats a rare updraft for even TX hail country to be juggling 5-6 inchers 5 miles in the air. Truly epic updraft.

I would agree. The remnant outflow was clearly visible on satellite for a long time before the cell interacted with it. It appeared to move south for several miles and then became stationary.

[King James]

Someone mentioned last night that they shut the sirens off. That is the typical procedure. Once a tornado warning is issued, they sound sound the sirens, usually for 2-3 minutes, depending on the jurisdiction, then shut down. Another misnomer is that they sound them when the threat has passed. The sirens will sometimes be sounded a second time if it's a long leashed warning, say 15 minutes or more before the tornado actually gets close to the siren's warning area.
As someone who used to work on them, you don't want to hear that for 15-30 minutes if you live near the siren.

Seems weird. They went off for about 90 seconds right when our phones buzzed.

I know you know what you are talking about, just not sure I agree with it

This morning has been a trip realizing how close it was.

Definitely let my guard down due to how quickly the sirens came on and then turned off

[King James]

Regarding the lake breeze, again I’m about 2 miles north and 2 miles west of lake village

The lake breeze ripped through here and dropped it to about 52 degrees with stiff north winds

Around 4 o’clock the stiff lake breeze relented and we made it to about 58 degrees

By around 5 o’clock when I get back from picking up my wife we were at about 64 degrees and the neighbors flag was showing winds out of the E/SE.

After the tornado passed just south, and before the next rounds of storms, the humidity came back and it felt like a stormy night

But just before it hit, SE winds and it wasn’t very humid or juicy feeling out

Anyway, just sharing. I was glued to the weather and being outside yesterday

[Brian D]

UUFFDA!! My 1.2" yesterday, 1.7" today, and possible 6+" of snow tomorrow night is all the excitement I care for. Tor's and giant hail not my cup of tea. Cool to watch, tho. Blessings to all down there.

[King James]

Another thing to share that I thought was interesting is just as it passed to the south, every single window in the house fogged up

I figured you guys would know why.

But said to my wife “it’s got to be right there, we just can’t see it with the hail and wind”

[Chicago WX]

15 minutes ago, King James said:

Regarding the lake breeze, again I’m about 2 miles north and 2 miles west of lake village

The lake breeze ripped through here and dropped it to about 52 degrees with stiff north winds

Around 4 o’clock the stiff lake breeze relented and we made it to about 58 degrees

By around 5 o’clock when I get back from picking up my wife we were at about 64 degrees and the neighbors flag was showing winds out of the E/SE.

After the tornado passed just south, and before the next rounds of storms, the humidity came back and it felt like a stormy night

But just before it hit, SE winds and it wasn’t very humid or juicy feeling out

Anyway, just sharing. I was glued to the weather and being outside yesterday

This is the graph of my home weather station yesterday. You can see the lake breeze and then the recovery.