Illinois, 2007

Hail and Damaging Winds in Illinois, October 18, 2007

October 18, 2007 · NWS LOT · 24 events in 5 counties and zones

Severe storms moved across northern Illinois during the late afternoon and evening hours of October 18th.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
2
Property damage
$40,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
24

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.

Severe storms moved across northern Illinois during the late afternoon and evening hours of October 18th.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Chicago, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 18, 2:06 PM CST, 2 hours 11 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 18, 2:06 PM CST, 2 hours 11 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 18, 3:00 PM CST, 1 hour 17 minutes before
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

16 hail, 7 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cook

When
October 18, 4:17 PM CST
Where
Cook County, Chicago Ridge
Measured
50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
41.700, -87.780

Large tree limbs were blown down at Corn Moody and Birmingham.

Hail, Cook

When
October 18, 4:21 PM CST to 4:23 PM CST
Where
Cook County, Alsip
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
41.670, -87.730

Quarter size hail was reported on Interstate 294.

Hail, Grundy

When
October 18, 4:30 PM CST to 4:32 PM CST
Where
Grundy County, Coal City
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
41.280, -88.280

Thunderstorm Wind, Cook

When
October 18, 4:30 PM CST
Where
Cook County, 1 mi NE of Chicago
Measured
55 kt (63 mph) estimated gust
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
41.840, -87.636

Numerous windows were blown out in a lobby of River Plaza Condominiums in downtown Chicago. One person was injured by flying glass.

Hail, Cook

When
October 18, 4:31 PM CST to 4:33 PM CST
Where
Cook County, Chicago
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
41.830, -87.650

Penny size hail was reported in the Loop.

Hail, Cook

When
October 18, 4:32 PM CST to 4:34 PM CST
Where
Cook County, 2 mi NW of Blue Is
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
41.670, -87.707

Nickel size hail was reported at 115th and Kedzie in Marionette Park.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cook

When
October 18, 4:33 PM CST
Where
Cook County, 1 mi ENE of Chicago
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
41.836, -87.632

A gust to 60 mph was measured at the Lasalle Bank building.

Hail, Cook

When
October 18, 4:35 PM CST to 4:37 PM CST
Where
Cook County, Chicago
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
41.830, -87.650

Nickel size hail was reported at Michigan Avenue and the Chicago River.

Hail, Will

When
October 18, 4:39 PM CST to 4:41 PM CST
Where
Will County, 4 mi NW of Wilmington
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
41.361, -88.204

Penny size hail was reported at Interstate 55 and Lorenzo Road.

Hail, Will

When
October 18, 4:40 PM CST to 4:45 PM CST
Where
Will County, Wilmington
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
41.320, -88.150

Thunderstorm Wind, Will

When
October 18, 4:40 PM CST
Where
Will County, Wilmington
Measured
61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
41.320, -88.150

Hail, Will

When
October 18, 4:42 PM CST to 4:44 PM CST
Where
Will County, 4 mi NW of Wilmington
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
41.361, -88.204

Penny size hail was reported at Interstate 55 and the Kankakee River.

Hail, Cook

When
October 18, 4:44 PM CST to 4:46 PM CST
Where
Cook County, Chicago Ridge
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
41.700, -87.780

Hail, Will

When
October 18, 4:44 PM CST to 4:47 PM CST
Where
Will County, 2 mi E of Joliet
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
41.530, -88.061

Golfball size hail was reported on the east side of Joliet.

Hail, Will

When
October 18, 4:45 PM CST to 4:47 PM CST
Where
Will County, 0.47 mi NNW of Franklin Square
Measured
0.88 in hail
Property damage
$30,000
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
41.506, -87.803

Several homes had roof and siding damage in Frankfort Square.

Hail, Cook

When
October 18, 5:11 PM CST to 5:13 PM CST
Where
Cook County, 2 mi SE of Oak Forest
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
41.580, -87.723

Nickel size hail was reported at 167th and Cicero.

Hail, Cook

When
October 18, 5:13 PM CST to 5:15 PM CST
Where
Cook County, Midlothian
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
41.620, -87.720

Quarter size hail was reported at 147th and Cicero.

Hail, Iroquois

When
October 18, 5:14 PM CST to 5:16 PM CST
Where
Iroquois County, 2 mi E of Danforth
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
40.820, -87.942

Thunderstorm Wind, Cook

When
October 18, 5:14 PM CST
Where
Cook County, Midlothian
Measured
63 kt (72 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
41.620, -87.720

A gust to 72 mph was measured at 147th and Cicero.

Hail, Cook

When
October 18, 5:19 PM CST to 5:21 PM CST
Where
Cook County, Blue Is
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
41.650, -87.680

Hail, Cook

When
October 18, 5:46 PM CST to 5:48 PM CST
Where
Cook County, Chicago Ridge
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
41.700, -87.780

Thunderstorm Wind, Kankakee

When
October 18, 5:50 PM CST
Where
Kankakee County, Grant Park
Measured
57 kt (66 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
41.230, -87.650

Winds were estimated at 66 mph and an eight inch diameter tree limb was blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Kankakee

When
October 18, 5:50 PM CST
Where
Kankakee County, 6 mi E of Momence
Measured
60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
41.170, -87.555

Numerous large trees were blown down.

Lightning, Cook

When
October 18, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Cook County, 0.57 mi SSE of Mc Cook
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
Newspaper
Coordinates
41.772, -87.817

A 14 year old boy was struck by lightning while riding his bike in an alley near the 6600 block of Archer Avenue. The boy only suffered minor injuries, including a welt on his back. Doctors believe he suffered an indirect lightning strike after the bolt hit something near him.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Illinois in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, October 2007

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 62842, 62828, 62829, 62843, 62830, 62831, 62846, 62832, 63203, 62833, 62847, 62834, 62835, 62836, 98467, 62837, 62838, 62839, 62848, 62840, 62841, 62844, 62845, 63204.