Chicago and the Collar Counties: Hail, Derecho Winds, Floods and Licensed Roofers

Cook County leads Illinois in large hail

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 147 hail events of 1 inch or larger in Cook County from 2016 through 2025, the most in Illinois and nearly double second-place Sangamon County's 78 (NCEI). The collar counties add their own totals:

Cook's largest stones in that window were golf ball to baseball size in Evanston on April 7, 2020, logged at 2.75 inches. Earlier, on June 30, 2011, baseball-size hail near 26th Street and Kedzie Avenue damaged hundreds of vehicles, among them at least 130 police cars.

The derecho reaches the city

By the time the August 10, 2020 derecho reached Chicago, NCEI's episode summary says its damage had shifted to narrow, brief and intense swaths. NCEI's highest Cook County estimate is an 83-knot corridor through Albany Park, where trees were snapped or uprooted and a few apartment buildings along Kedvale Avenue took roof damage. An EF1 tornado with 110 mph peak winds touched down near Lunt and Hamlin avenues, left at least two city blocks impassable with fallen trees, and became a waterspout past the lakeshore.

In DuPage County, a 78-knot corridor across Wheaton and Glen Ellyn damaged trees and utility poles, with damage consistent with winds up to 90 mph. NWS Chicago received over 160 damaging-wind reports and confirmed 15 tornadoes in its warning area that day, including the Rogers Park EF1.

Naperville's strongest recent tornado came later: on June 20, 2021, an EF3 with 140 mph peak winds touched down south of 75th Street and injured 11 people.

Floodwater: the repair that needs a different crew

The costliest entries in Cook County's NCEI file are floods, not wind. Flash flooding on July 2, 2023 is listed at $500 million, and the August 17, 2025 flooding damaged roughly 40,000 structures around Chicago. Wet basements call for a water mitigation crew first and a remodeler second, and the Home Repair and Remodeling Act's written-contract rule applies to the rebuild once it tops $1,000.

FEMA declared DR-4728 for the June 29 to July 2, 2023 storms and flooding, DR-4749 for September 2023 flooding in Cook County, and DR-4819 for the July 2024 storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding that took in Cook, Will and Winnebago counties.

The Illinois roofing license on a real job

The Roofing Industry Licensing Act builds the license into the permit process. A municipality or county may not issue a roofing permit without proof of a current state license, and a limited license holder can pull permits only for residential buildings of eight units or fewer. Except where permits are issued electronically, the applicant must present government-issued identification, and knowingly giving the license number of a roofer who will not actually do the work is identity theft under the Act.

Storm-season shortcuts are covered too. Under the Home Repair and Remodeling Act, a local contractor may not take money to let an out-of-area contractor use its business name or license. Confirm the name on your contract matches an active license on IDFPR's license lookup, and read the state rules summary on this site's home page.

Rockford, out the I-90 corridor

Winnebago County logged 57 hail events of 1 inch or larger in the same decade, including 2.5- to 3-inch hail in far southeast Rockford on May 2, 2018. During the derecho, the SPC report log quotes the Rockford fire chief reporting at least 150 damaged power poles across the city.

Find roofers in Chicago, Naperville, Aurora, Joliet and Rockford on the National Roofing Directory, and check its Illinois roofing licensing page and Illinois storm center.

Frequently asked questions

Does a Chicago roofer need a state license?

Yes. Illinois makes it unlawful to provide professional roofing services without a license from IDFPR, and a local permit office must see proof of current licensure before issuing a roofing permit. Work on your own property, or done for no pay, is exempt.

Which license does a roofer need for a condo or apartment building?

A limited license covers residential buildings of eight units or fewer. A larger residential building, or any commercial or industrial roof, calls for an unlimited license.

How do I cancel a roofing contract in Illinois?

Illinois roofing contracts must include a clause letting you rescind within 72 hours and recover your deposit. If the job is paid from insurance and your insurer denies all or part of the claim, the Home Repair and Remodeling Act also lets you cancel before midnight on the earlier of the fifth business day after the insurer's written notice or the thirtieth business day after it receives your proof of loss.