The August 16, 2025 Storm in Cary, Fox River Grove & Algonquin: A McHenry County Damage Guide

It hit our corner of McHenry County hard.

Saturday afternoon, August 16, 2025. A line of severe thunderstorms ripped through the Northwest Highway corridor right around 4 PM. By Sunday morning, more than half of Fox River Grove was without power, a quarter of Cary was dark, and the village of Cary had declared a Local Disaster Emergency.

I’ve been installing exterior systems in this area for 21 years. Our office sits on Route 176 in Crystal Lake, about 7 miles from downtown Cary down US-14. We rolled trucks the next morning and I personally walked dozens of properties between Brigadoon, Foxmoor, and Trails of Woods Creek over the following two weeks. Wind-snapped trees on roofs. Aluminum siding pocked with hail. Soffits ripped clean off two-stories in Greenfields. It’s the kind of damage that doesn’t show up on a casual drive-by — but a homeowner who knows what to look for can spot it before the rain finds the rafters.

Here’s the part most homeowners missed: the federal disaster declaration was denied. That means no FEMA grants. No SBA loans for damage repair. Your private homeowners insurance is the only real path to making your home whole. And the clock on those claims is already running.

It’s been about eight months. Two groups still need to read this: homeowners who haven’t filed a claim yet, and homeowners whose carrier already denied them. Both situations have moves. We work both sides of that fight every week, and there’s usually more recoverable damage than the original inspection found. Statutory deadline in Illinois is one year from the date of loss — that’s August 16, 2026. Past that, the door closes.

Quick Answer: What Was the August 2025 Cary Storm?

On Saturday, August 16, 2025, a severe thunderstorm with 63 mph winds and hail up to 1.5 inches struck the Cary, Fox River Grove, and Algonquin corridor in McHenry County, Illinois. Cary Mayor Mark Kownick declared a Local Disaster Emergency. About 74,000 ComEd customers lost power across the Chicago region; roughly 12,000 of them were in McHenry County. By Sunday morning, 56% of Fox River Grove, 25% of Cary, and 15% of Algonquin remained without power. Federal disaster aid was ultimately denied, leaving private insurance claims as the primary recovery path for affected homeowners.

Where the August 2025 Storm Hit Hardest in McHenry County

Three communities took the worst of it: Cary, Fox River Grove, and Algonquin. Per Shaw Local’s reporting and ComEd outage data, these were the top-three hardest-hit municipalities in McHenry County. The storm cell tracked east-southeast along US Route 14, the Northwest Highway artery that connects all three villages and runs past the Cary-Grove High School and the Norge Ski Club in Fox River Grove.

Cary, IL — Disaster Declaration and ~100 Fire Calls

Cary got hit hard. The village’s 17,800 residents woke up Sunday to roughly a quarter of the community without electricity. Cary Fire Department fielded around 100 storm-related calls between Saturday evening and Sunday morning — tree-on-house, downed lines, blocked roadways. Mayor Mark Kownick signed a Local Disaster Emergency declaration on Sunday, August 17.

The village then signed a $40,000 emergency purchase agreement with Davey Tree Expert Co. to grind storm debris — about sixteen hours of work at an hourly rate to clear what residents and the public works crew couldn’t handle alone. We saw the worst tree damage in the older Brigadoon and Oakwood Hills neighborhoods, where mid-1950s ranches sit under 60-year-old silver maples and pin oaks. Newer subdivisions like Foxford Hills and Northwood Acres had less canopy damage but more roof hits from wind-driven debris.

Fox River Grove — 56% Without Power Sunday Morning

Fox River Grove caught the worst of the outage hit. About 56% of the village was without power as of 8 AM Sunday, August 17, 2025. Roughly a third was still out by Sunday afternoon. The tighter mid-1990s subdivisions like Foxmoor and Picnic Grove had multiple downed trees blocking interior streets; the Original Village Core along Route 14 and Illinois Street had flickering power restored faster but lost more older shingle roofs to wind uplift.

I drove the corridor twice that week. The 1900s-era summer-cottage conversions along Lincoln Avenue took the worst structural hits — older roof decks, less attic ventilation, and decades of accumulated stress on undersized rafters add up when 63 mph winds hit at the wrong angle.

Algonquin — The 63 mph Gust Was Measured Here

Algonquin recorded the storm’s peak measured wind: 63 mph. About 15% of the village was without power Sunday morning, with the heaviest damage clustered in the Manchester Lakes and Trails of Woods Creek subdivisions where Pulte’s 1990s-2000s builder-grade asphalt roofs reach end of design life. Old Town along the Fox River got off lighter on the wind but caught hail as the cell cleared the river valley moving east.

What Damage Did the August 16, 2025 Storm Cause?

The August 16, 2025 storm produced three categories of damage on McHenry County homes: wind damage to roofs and siding, hail damage from stones up to 1.5 inches in diameter, and downed-tree damage to roofs, gutters, and exteriors. Here’s what each looks like in practice.

Wind Damage at 63 mph

Sustained 60-plus mph wind doesn’t need to lift your whole roof to cause expensive problems. What it does:

• Lifts shingle tabs. Asphalt shingles seal themselves to the row above with a thermal asphalt strip. Wind breaks that seal. The shingle still looks attached but the seal is gone — next big rain, water rides under it.
• Tears off ridge caps. The peak of the roof catches the most wind. Missing or curled ridge caps are the most common storm damage I find on Cary roofs after wind events.
• Rips siding J-channel and corner trim. Vinyl siding panels lock into J-channel at openings and corners. Wind can tear those out — the panel is still up, but it’s no longer water-resistant.
• Tweaks soffit panels. A soffit panel that’s been pushed half an inch out of its track lets bats, squirrels, and windblown rain into your attic.

Hail Damage at 1.5″

Hail up to 1.5 inches was reported in Cary on August 16. That’s in the “quarter-size to ping-pong-ball” range — not catastrophic, but absolutely capable of cosmetically destroying aluminum siding and creating insurance-claim-worthy damage on softer materials. Here’s the field intel after 21 years of dealing with this:

• Aluminum siding dents. Even moderate hail puts permanent dings in aluminum. Your aluminum-sided 1970s split-level in Brigadoon or 1980s ranch in Cinnamon Creek probably has visible hits.
• Vinyl cracks — but only when hail gets big. 1.5 inches is right on the threshold. Older brittle vinyl (15-plus years) cracks more easily than newer formulations.
• Asphalt shingles bruise. The damage is often invisible from the ground — you need to be on the roof to see the granule loss and circular bruising patterns.
• Gutters and downspouts dent. Painted aluminum gutters dent on impact. Soft metals like the painted face of an oversized 6-inch gutter system will show every hit.

Tree-on-Structure Damage

This is the one that doesn’t wait. Roughly 100 of Cary Fire’s storm calls involved trees on structures or blocking roadways. The 60-plus year canopy in Cary’s older subdivisions is beautiful most of the time and a hazard during 63 mph winds. We saw two-story homes with crowns through the master bathroom and one-story ranches with branches penetrating the soffit and roof deck.

Cary’s Local Disaster Emergency — What It Actually Means

A municipal Local Disaster Emergency declaration unlocks village-level emergency authority — it does not unlock federal money for individual homeowners. Mayor Kownick’s declaration let Cary skip normal procurement timelines (that’s how the $40,000 Davey Tree contract got signed inside 48 hours), authorized mutual aid from neighboring fire departments, and qualified the village to apply for state and federal damage assistance. It does not write checks to your insurance carrier on your behalf.

If you’re a Cary homeowner reading this and thinking, “Great, the government will help with my repairs” — that’s not how this works, and I’d rather you know now than learn it eight months from now when your shingles fail and your insurance is past the filing window.

Why FEMA Aid Was Denied (And Why That Matters for Your Wallet)

Federal disaster aid for the August 2025 McHenry County storm was ultimately denied because the storm’s damage didn’t meet FEMA’s threshold for a presidential major disaster declaration. Joint IEMA, FEMA, and SBA Preliminary Damage Assessment teams went door-to-door across Cook, Will, Boone, and McHenry counties from September 3 through 7, 2025. They added up the numbers. The numbers came up short. Federal aid was denied.

What that means for you, practically:

• No FEMA grants for repairs — even uninsured losses.
• No SBA low-interest disaster loans for homeowners or small businesses.
• No federal premium relief on flood insurance.
• Your homeowners insurance is your only path to recovery.

That’s the bad news. The good news: a properly documented storm-damage claim against your homeowners policy will cover most legitimate roof, siding, gutter, and window damage from this event. Here’s how that works.

How to File a Storm Damage Insurance Claim — Step by Step

The fastest path to a successful storm damage insurance claim is: document the damage with photos before any cleanup, get a contractor inspection before the adjuster arrives, file the claim with your carrier within 30 days of the storm, and have a written estimate ready when the adjuster shows up.

Step 1 — Document Before Cleanup

Walk the perimeter with your phone. Photograph every visible damage point: dented gutters, cracked siding, missing shingle tabs, torn screens, downed branches still on the roof. Get the wide shot AND the close-up. Date stamps matter — most phones do this automatically. Don’t clean anything up until you’ve documented it.

Step 2 — Get a Contractor Inspection

This is where it gets real. A roofer or siding contractor on a ladder will find damage that’s invisible from the ground — especially hail bruising on shingles. We do free storm damage inspections for any home in Cary, Fox River Grove, Algonquin, Crystal Lake, and the rest of McHenry County. We document with photos, write an itemized estimate, and give you a damage report you can hand directly to your adjuster. The adjuster appreciates it. You appreciate it. Everyone wins except the underprepared homeowner trying to argue from memory.

Step 3 — File the Claim

Call your insurance carrier. Tell them: “I have storm damage from the August 16, 2025 wind and hail event in [city], IL.” Have your policy number ready. They’ll assign a claim number and an adjuster. Write both down.

Step 4 — The Adjuster Visit

Be present when the adjuster comes out. Have your photos and your contractor estimate. Walk the property with the adjuster — don’t let them do a drive-by. If you don’t agree with their assessment, you have the right to dispute it. This is where a public adjuster can be worth their fee.

Disclosure: We work alongside our sister company, IHC Public Adjusters, a separately licensed Illinois public adjusting firm. Financial relationship disclosed per 215 ILCS 5/1575. They represent homeowners against insurance carriers when claim values are in dispute. Not every claim needs one. Bigger claims and contested ones often do.

Step 5 — Repair Phase

Once the claim is approved, the work happens. You hire the contractor (you, not your insurance company — that’s your call). The contractor repairs the damage. The check goes either to you or split between you and your mortgage company depending on the amount. We handle the rest.

Haven’t Filed Yet, or Was Your Claim Denied? Here’s What’s Still Possible

If you haven’t filed a claim from the August 16, 2025 storm or your insurance carrier already denied you, you still have options as long as you’re inside Illinois’s one-year statutory window from the date of loss (deadline: August 16, 2026). The two situations get treated differently — here’s how each one works.

Late Filers — “I Never Got Around to It”

This is more common than you’d think. In the months after a storm, life gets in the way. The shingle that’s quietly leaking now isn’t the same shingle that was quietly leaking last September — but the cause is the same August 16, 2025 wind event, and most carriers will still process the claim if you can document the damage and tie it to that date.

What helps before you call your carrier:

• Photographs from the original storm period if you have any — doorbell camera footage, security camera clips, neighborhood damage photos posted on Facebook or Nextdoor in August 2025 all help establish the date.
• A contractor inspection report. We document the damage, identify what’s consistent with high-wind and hail damage from the August 2025 storm, and write you an itemized report you can hand to your adjuster.
• News coverage references. Shaw Local’s coverage of Cary’s disaster declaration, ComEd’s outage maps from Aug 16-18, 2025, and the IEMA Preliminary Damage Assessment bulletin are all citable establishment-of-event documentation.

The risk: some carrier policies have notification clauses requiring you to report damage within 30 or 60 days of awareness. That’s why you call sooner rather than later — the longer you wait, the more friction you’ll hit. But “August was eight months ago” is not by itself a death sentence on the claim. We’ve helped homeowners in Cary, Fox River Grove, and Algonquin file successful claims well past the carrier’s preferred notification window when the evidence is solid.

Denied Claims — “My Carrier Said No”

A claim denial is rarely the end of the story. Three paths exist after a denial:

1. Supplemental claim filing. If a follow-up inspection finds damage the original inspection missed, you can file a supplemental claim. This happens routinely — an adjuster spends 20 minutes on your roof and misses things a contractor on a roof for two hours catches.
2. Public adjuster re-inspection and negotiation. A public adjuster represents YOU, not the insurance company. Their job is to identify covered damage the carrier’s adjuster overlooked or undervalued, then negotiate the claim back open. Disclosure: We work alongside our sister company, IHC Public Adjusters, a separately licensed Illinois public adjusting firm. Financial relationship disclosed per 215 ILCS 5/1575.
3. Illinois Department of Insurance complaint. If you believe your carrier denied in bad faith, you can file a formal complaint with the Illinois Department of Insurance. Sometimes this alone is enough to get a claim re-examined.

What we usually find on denied claims: the original inspection was too fast, the damage type was misclassified (your wind damage logged as “wear and tear”), or critical hail and wind evidence on north or shaded slopes was missed entirely. After 21 years of these conversations with carriers, I’d say more than half of the denials we’ve looked at had at least some recoverable damage when we re-walked the property.

It’s not a guarantee. Some denials are correct — the damage genuinely isn’t covered, or it’s pre-existing, or your policy has an exclusion that legitimately applies. We tell people that straight too. But “they denied me” doesn’t automatically mean the conversation is over.

How to Spot Hail and Wind Damage on Your Roof and Siding

Hail and wind damage isn’t always obvious from the ground. The reliable signs are: granule loss in your gutters, missing or curled shingle tabs, dents on aluminum or metal surfaces, cracks at vinyl siding seams, and damage to softer materials like screens and skylights.

What to look for from the ground:

• Gutters and downspouts. Walk under them. Look for dents on the painted face. Check the splash blocks and concrete below the downspouts for piles of asphalt granules — that’s your shingles shedding their UV protection from hail impact.
• Aluminum siding and trim. Get close. Run your hand along the surface. Hail dents are obvious by touch even when the angle of light hides them.
• Vinyl siding seams. Crack damage shows up at the lap joints and around windows. Hairline cracks lead to water intrusion behind the siding.
• Screens and skylights. Soft surfaces fail first. Torn window screens and cracked skylight glass are leading indicators of hail size.
• Air conditioner condenser fins. If your AC fins are flat-pressed on one side, you had hail. The fin damage is also a covered claim.

What you’ll need a contractor on the roof to confirm:

• Asphalt shingle bruising. Round impact marks where granules have been knocked off, exposing black asphalt mat underneath. Often invisible from the ground.
• Lifted shingle tabs. The thermal seal is broken. Looks fine; isn’t.
• Missing ridge caps and starter strips. The most wind-vulnerable parts of any roof.
• Step flashing damage. Where the roof meets a wall or chimney. Subtle, expensive when ignored.

How Long Do You Have to File a Storm Claim in Illinois?

In Illinois, the standard statutory window for filing a property damage insurance claim is one year from the date of loss, but most homeowners insurance policies require “prompt notification” and may impose tighter contractual deadlines — often 30 to 90 days. For the August 16, 2025 storm, that means even though the legal calendar may give you until August 16, 2026, your specific policy could require you to have notified your carrier already. Read your policy. When in doubt, file now.

Reasons not to wait:

• Damage gets worse. A lifted shingle tab in August is a leak in November.
• Memory fades. The adjuster will ask what happened. “A storm sometime last summer” is a weaker claim than “Saturday August 16, around 4 PM, 63 mph winds.”
• Photographic evidence ages. Tree debris gets cleared. Dents weather. Document now.
• The insurance carrier’s adjuster pool is finite. The longer you wait, the harder it is to get a good slot on their schedule.

Frequently Asked Questions About the August 2025 McHenry County Storm

Was Cary declared a federal disaster area for the August 2025 storm?

No. Cary Mayor Mark Kownick signed a municipal Local Disaster Emergency declaration on August 17, 2025, but federal FEMA disaster status was ultimately denied after IEMA/FEMA/SBA Preliminary Damage Assessments conducted September 3 through 7, 2025. McHenry County homeowners must rely on private homeowners insurance for storm-damage recovery.

How much hail fell during the August 16, 2025 Cary storm?

Hail up to 1.5 inches in diameter was reported in Cary on August 16, 2025. That’s in the quarter-size-to-ping-pong-ball range — large enough to dent aluminum siding, knock granules off asphalt shingles, and crack older vinyl siding at lap joints and seams.

What was the peak wind speed during the August 2025 storm?

The National Weather Service measured a 63 mph gust near Algonquin during the August 16, 2025 storm. That’s the peak verified figure. Local damage reports suggest some pockets of Fox River Grove and Cary may have seen comparable or higher gusts, but 63 mph at Algonquin is the official measurement.

How do I file a storm damage insurance claim if I live in Cary, Fox River Grove, or Algonquin?

Document the damage with date-stamped photos before any cleanup, schedule a free contractor inspection to identify damage you can’t see from the ground, then call your homeowners insurance carrier with the date of loss (August 16, 2025) and your policy number to open a claim. Have your contractor’s written estimate ready when the adjuster arrives.

How long do I have to file an insurance claim for the August 2025 storm?

Illinois law generally allows up to one year from the date of loss to file a property damage claim, but most homeowners policies require prompt notification within 30 to 90 days. Read your specific policy. If the August 2025 storm caused damage you haven’t reported yet, file the claim now — waiting risks both contractual deadlines and visible evidence.

What does a Local Disaster Emergency declaration actually do for homeowners?

A municipal Local Disaster Emergency declaration like Mayor Kownick’s August 17, 2025 order gives village government emergency procurement authority and unlocks state-level mutual aid resources. It does not provide direct payments to homeowners, does not pay for private repairs, and does not substitute for filing a homeowners insurance claim.

Can I still file a claim from the August 2025 Cary storm if I haven’t yet?

Yes — as long as you’re inside Illinois’s one-year statutory window. The deadline is August 16, 2026. Carriers may have shorter contractual notification clauses (often 30 to 60 days), but in our experience most will still process a documented claim from August 2025 if the homeowner has photos, a contractor inspection report, and references to the documented storm event. Call your carrier and a contractor as soon as possible — the longer you wait, the more friction you’ll meet.

What can I do if my insurance company denied my August 2025 storm claim?

Three options remain after a denial: file a supplemental claim if a follow-up inspection finds missed damage, hire a public adjuster to re-inspect and negotiate the claim back open, or file a complaint with the Illinois Department of Insurance if you believe the denial was made in bad faith. After 21 years working with carriers, more than half of the denied claims we’ve re-walked had at least some recoverable damage missed in the original inspection.

Get a Free Storm Damage Inspection in Cary, Fox River Grove, or Algonquin

Whether you haven’t filed a claim yet, your carrier already denied you, or you just want a second set of eyes on damage you suspect — we’ll come out, walk the property, photograph every damage point, and write you a free itemized estimate you can hand directly to your insurance adjuster. If your claim was denied, we’ll tell you straight whether we see grounds for a supplemental claim or a public-adjuster re-inspection. If we don’t see recoverable damage, we’ll tell you that too.

21 years installing roofing and siding in McHenry County. CertainTeed ShingleMaster, James Hardie Preferred Remodeler, women-led, same office on Route 176 since 2005. Same phone number the whole time. We work alongside IHC Public Adjusters on contested and denied claims — financial relationship disclosed per 215 ILCS 5/1575.

For more on the local storm-damage claim process, see our pages for storm damage repair in Cary, IL, storm damage repair in Fox River Grove, IL, and storm damage repair in Algonquin, IL. Our pillar guide on storm damage restoration covers the full process from initial inspection through completed repair. Cary homeowners considering a full re-roof or re-side after the storm can also see our Cary roofing services and Cary siding installation pages.

Sources: Shaw Local Northwest Herald (August 16-September 6, 2025 coverage), CBS Chicago (Cary state of emergency, August 18, 2025), Lake McHenry Scanner (village declaration coverage, August 18, 2025), Daily Herald (Fox River Grove storm updates, August 18, 2025), Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA Preliminary Damage Assessment bulletin, August 28, 2025), National Weather Service Chicago (severe weather event archives). Verified 2026-04-25.