Does My Roof Have Hail Damage?

By Cass Jacoby.  

Learn how to assess the level of damage sustained on your roof.  

With hailstorms usually comes damage, but the degree of destruction can be easy to miss if it isn’t totally obvious. The most telltale signs of hail damage are broken or missing shingles, as well as holes in the roof. Sometimes roof damage is easy to detect, but spotting minor damage requires a more trained eye. Follow these helpful tips to decide if the hail damage warrants a professional to assess the hail damage through a roof inspection.  

Check your gutters 

Vents Magazine suggests looking at the gutters first and foremost; if the hail has the ability to dent your gutter, then it probably is powerful enough to damage parts of your roof. If your gutters have denser dings then you're probably going to be facing roof damage. Furthermore, when shingles get damaged their particles get into the gutters and eventually block them, so if you notice a blockage in your gutters, it can also be a signal of roof damage.  

Check for other dents in metals on your home. 

The next places to look are at the sidings and the deck of your roof, as these areas are likely to be damaged by the hailstorm. Tulsa Protech suggests looking at roof vents; dents in the metal or cracks in plastic vents often means your roof was hit with heavy hail. 

Appearance of a roof damaged by hailstorm 

Each shingle material will handle the impact of hailstorms differently, thus exhibiting varying degrees of damage. Owens Corning says looking for a distinct pattern of small round-shaped divots on the edges of the shingles is a sure way to tell if your roof has been damaged by hail. Identify your roof material to look for more specific signs. 

If you own an asphalt or soft tile roof, check the downspouts and gutters for signs of granules that may have been dislodged from your roof as they are an indicator of damage to the shingles. When a large number of granules is present, check the shingles above for bare spots where the asphalt substrate is visible. Mark any shingles which have cracks, visible substrate and pitting. While the latter is less urgent, taking pictures which show all damage will be beneficial for an insurance claim. 

If you own slate or ceramic roofs, look for clean, sharp-edged holes, which indicate that hail has pierced the tiles. Small punctures and cracks caused by impacts can weaken the tiles, regardless of how deep they are. Shattered, cracked, or otherwise destroyed tiles after a hailstorm will require immediate attention to avoid structural damage from further weather. 

Metal roofs are one of the toughest roof materials, but that doesn’t mean that hail damage can’t weaken the roof. Hail damage can lead to rust, so Home Reference recommends looking for scour marks (scratches to the protective outer coating) and dents — much like your car, the metal on a roof can be dented or pockmarked by hail.  

Conclusion 

All these signals call for an immediate inspection of your roof by a professional . Roofing contractors know what to look for and may be better able to document any problems for your insurance company. 

While not necessary, an expert’s eyes may find trouble areas you’ve overlooked, especially if you are facing hefty repair cost. Plus, most inspections are done for free. It’s always best to get an expert opinion, so if you are worried your roof might have hail damage, call up your local contractor for an inspection. 

Have a question? AskARoofer. 

Find your local roofing contractor in the RoofersCoffeeShop® Contractor Directory.  

About Cass  

Cass works as a reporter/writer for RoofersCoffeeShop and AskARoofer. When she isn’t writing about roofs, she is writing about movies for her master's degree and dancing with her plants.