World-Record 8-Inch Hailstone Reported in Illinois Storms

The thunderstorms that roared through Illinois on Tuesday, March 10, 2026 were historic, but not due to the violent tornadoes that impacted several areas. The real story is the report of massive hailstones that were found by storm chasers and residents. A new claim says that a world-record 8-inch hailstone was found.

I found the report of this 8-inch hailstone found in Illinois on several sites. Matthew Cappucci shared a pic on Facebook saying that a world-record hailstone was found in Kankakee County, Illinois. I found the original photo on X that was shared by Kevin McBroom. He tagged digital meteorologist Ryan Hall and several National Weather Service offices directing their attention to his pic of what appears to be an 8-inch hailstone.

Here's something to note: As of the time of this writing, the National Weather Service storm reports have not confirmed this 8-inch hailstone. The largest they have confirmed so far is 5 1/2 inches according to their most recent update. That's not to say that the 8 inch hailstone found by Kevin McBroom won't be. It just means that there's no official acknowledgement from the NWS as of now. Regardless, the hail that fell on many parts of Illinois and especially the Kankakee area was almost unprecedented. The fact that Spring hasn't even officially started yet is terrifying.