Pictures Included: Severe Storms Bring Large Hail to Metro East Region

ALTON/JERSEYVILLE - The Metro East region, including Alton, Jerseyville, and East Alton, was hit with significant hail during severe storms on Monday, April 27, 2026, according to the National Weather Service.

Hail is a form of solid precipitation in the form of ice pellets.

“There was a lot of hail yesterday around the region," said Jon Carney, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in St. Louis. "The largest hail in Madison County was about 2 inches. Jersey had a hail report of 2.5 inches."

Carney said the largest hail pellet report around the St. Louis region was “4 inches in Washington, Mo.”

He also cited “several reports of 3-3.5 inch hail across the region."

Carney said the large hail was due to “supercell thunderstorms that have rotating updrafts, and those typically will produce large hail under correct conditions because of the rotation.”

“It is not uncommon here, certainly in April and May,” Carney said.