Hail, McHenry
- When
- May 18, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- McHenry County, Huntley
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 42.167, -88.417
Hail in Illinois, May 18, 2000
A series of severe thunderstorms trained east northeast across northern Illinois from late morning through mid afternoon, effecting north central Illinois and the northwest and far north suburbs of Chicago. These storms produced several swaths of hail ranging from marble to golfball size and larger.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 4
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS LOT wrote it up.
A series of severe thunderstorms trained east northeast across northern Illinois from late morning through mid afternoon, effecting north central Illinois and the northwest and far north suburbs of Chicago. These storms produced several swaths of hail ranging from marble to golfball size and larger. Hardest hit was Lake County Illinois. Over 100 cars were damaged at a dealership in Lake Forest. Vehicles and buildings were damaged in Lake Zurich. Lake Zurich was hit by 2 separate storms, each one producing golfball hail. There were public reports of leaves stripped from trees. Hail was reported to be 3 inches deep on the ground at Halfday according to emergency management. Skylights were smashed by hail at a Barrington school. The roof of a high school was damaged in Lake Zurich. In Rockford a tree was knocked down in Haight Park. It grazed a gazebo.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
4 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, Lake
- When
- May 18, 2:40 PM CST
- Where
- Lake County, Halfday
- Measured
- 1.25 in hail
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 42.200, -87.933
Hail, Lake
- When
- May 18, 2:43 PM CST
- Where
- Lake County, Lake Zurich
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 42.200, -88.100
Hail, Lake
- When
- May 18, 2:45 PM CST
- Where
- Lake County, Vernon Hills
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 42.233, -87.967
What these are
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Heat in Texas, May 18, 2000
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Michigan, May 18 to 19, 2000
- Tornadoes and Hail in New York, May 18, 2000
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Indiana, May 18, 2000
- Damaging Winds in Illinois, May 18, 2000
- Rip Current in California, May 18, 2000
- Tornadoes and Flooding in Iowa, May 18, 2000
- Wildfire in Alaska, May 18, 2000
- Flash Flood and Flooding in Wisconsin, May 18, 2000
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Illinois, May 18, 2000
- Flash Flooding in Michigan, May 18 to 20, 2000
- Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, May 18, 2000
More
Every storm in Illinois in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, May 2000
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5145134, 5145137, 5145136, 5145135.