Dear Tom,
I remember a very stormy period a few summers ago marked by a lot of hail. What
summer was that?
Marge Wallace
Dear Marge,
It was five years ago during July and August of 2003 that Chicago was bombarded with
hail. Waves of severe thunderstorms swept the area on 16 days between July 4 and
Aug. 3. Some communities were hit with hail on five or six days.
The hail was large, ranging from penny size (3/4-inch) to tennis ball (2.5 inches,) and the
extensive damage was estimated in excess of $90 million. Automobiles and rooftops
took the brunt of the damage, but trees also were stripped of their leaves and gardens
flattened.
Damaging wind and torrential rainfall also accompanied the thunderstorms. The storms
on Aug. 3 brought as much as 4 inches of rain to Chicago's Northwest Side, flooding
streets and viaducts and shutting down the Kennedy Expressway.
