Storm damage
In this market, storm damage usually means wind
Hail gets the attention because it is dramatic and because storm-chasing companies sell it. The data for this metro says something different: over the last six years, damaging wind outnumbered hail here by more than five to one.
What wind damage looks like
Wind does not usually take a roof off. It lifts, creases and unseals, and most of what it does is invisible from the ground.
- Creasing. A shingle folds back in a gust and lies back down. The crease across the mat is a permanent fracture line even though the shingle looks flat again.
- Unsealing. The adhesive strip that bonds each course to the one below breaks. The shingle is still there and still nailed, but it is now a flap waiting for the next storm.
- Edge and rake loss. Uplift pressure is highest at the perimeter, which is why wind damage starts at the eaves, the rakes and the ridge rather than the middle of a slope.
- Missing tabs. The obvious one, and usually the last stage rather than the first.
What hail damage looks like
Hail bruises the mat. The signature is a soft, round impact with the granules knocked off and a dent you can feel with a thumb — distinct from blistering, which is a manufacturing artefact, and from ordinary granule loss, which is age.
| What you see | What it usually is | How to tell |
|---|---|---|
| Round dark spots with granules missing | Hail bruise | Soft to the touch, random pattern, often with matching dents on soft metals like vents and gutter aprons |
| Small pits with sharp edges | Blistering | Hard edges, no bruise underneath, distributed across the whole slope regardless of exposure |
| Bare patches along the field | Granule loss from age | Follows water flow paths, worst under valleys and downspout discharge |
| A fold line across a shingle | Wind crease | Lines up along a course, concentrated at edges and rakes |
Soft-metal damage is the tell. Hail large enough to bruise a shingle mat almost always leaves dents on gutters, vent caps and any aluminum on the roof. A roof with claimed hail damage and untouched soft metals is worth a second look.
How the damage gets documented
Establish the date
Storm Check lists what NOAA recorded near your ZIP code and when. That is the starting point for which event is being discussed, and whether it is inside the twelve-month mark most policies work to.
Inspect the whole roof
All slopes, including the ones facing away from the street, plus soft metals, gutters and any collateral on siding and windows.
Photograph everything
Individual defects, wide shots for context, and slope-by-slope coverage. A claim that is only a written opinion has nothing behind it.
Write it down plainly
What was found, on which slope, and what it means for the roof. What an insurer does with that is the insurer's decision.
Nothing on this site can tell you whether a claim will be approved, and anybody who does tell you that is guessing. What documentation does is make sure the decision is made on evidence rather than on a five-minute look from a ladder.
A note on storm chasers
After a significant hail event, out-of-state crews work the neighborhood door to door. Some are fine. The pattern worth being careful about is the one that asks you to sign something on the doorstep, offers to "cover your deductible", or inspects the roof and finds damage before they have been up there long enough to look at it. Waiving or absorbing a deductible is not a discount; it is a misrepresentation of the loss, and it puts you in the middle of it.
Want to know what is on record for your address before anyone knocks on your door?
Check your ZIP codeHow soon after a storm should I have the roof looked at?
Sooner is better, mainly because unsealed shingles are far easier to identify before they have had a few weeks of ordinary weather to lie back down. There is no need to rush into a decision, but there is a reason to get it documented.
The neighbours are all getting new roofs. Does that mean I need one?
It means the same storm passed over your house, which is a reason to look. It is not evidence about your roof. Damage from a single storm cell can vary noticeably between one street and the next.
Can you tell me if my insurance will pay?
No, and nobody outside your insurer can. What we can do is document what is there against the dates NOAA recorded, so the conversation with your carrier is about evidence.
What if the damage is from a storm more than a year ago?
Most policies expect a claim inside twelve months of the date of loss, so older damage is usually dealt with as ordinary repair or replacement work. It is still worth documenting, because damage that has been sitting there is damage the next storm will find.
All work is performed by licensed and insured local roofing professionals.