Hail and Wind Roof Damage: An Illinois Insurance Claim Guide

Hail and wind roof damage leaves most Illinois homeowners with the same four questions. Did the storm actually damage the roof, or only the gutters? How do you prove it? What will insurance pay, and when? And who is allowed to help?

The sections below answer them in that order. Much of the early work, from spotting damage to saving storm reports, can be done from the ground before anyone climbs a ladder. The coverage decision belongs to your insurer, and Illinois law sets firm limits on what a roofing contractor may do along the way.

What the March 10, 2026 hailstorm taught DuPage homeowners

On March 10, 2026, a supercell tracked across Bolingbrook, Woodridge, Downers Grove, Westmont and Darien. According to the National Weather Service office in Chicago, it dropped hail about 2 inches in diameter, and locally up to 4 inches. The largest stone from that storm, found in Darien, measured 4.8 inches across. The March 10 storms also produced a 6.6-inch hailstone that was later certified as the Illinois state record.

Three lessons from that day apply to any storm:

• Hail season does not wait for summer. This storm arrived in March.
• Damage paths are narrow. One subdivision can be hammered while the next is spared.
• Large hail damages far more than shingles. Siding, gutters, windows, skylights, screens and cars all take hits, which matters when you document the loss.

Hail size and roof damage: what the numbers mean

The National Weather Service classifies a thunderstorm as severe when it produces hail at least 1 inch in diameter, about the size of a quarter, or wind gusts of 58 mph or more. Its warnings add tags for higher threat levels:

• Considerable damage threat: golf-ball hail (1.75 inches) or 70 mph winds.
• Destructive damage threat: baseball hail (2.75 inches) or 80 mph winds.

Weather spotters estimate size by comparison with familiar objects:

• Penny: 0.75 inch
• Quarter: 1 inch
• Golf ball: 1.75 inches
• Baseball: 2.75 inches
• Softball: 4 inches

A ruler beats a comparison. If you can collect stones safely, photograph the largest beside a ruler and keep a few in the freezer.

Size is only part of the picture. Damage also depends on how dense the stones were, whether wind drove them at an angle, how long the hail fell, and the age and condition of the roof. Smaller hail often marks soft metal such as gutters and vents without functionally harming shingles.

As size increases, hail can bruise the shingle mat, knock granules off down to the asphalt, crack plastic vents and skylight domes, and dent metal roofing. Older, brittle shingles tend to fracture at smaller sizes than new ones.

Spotting hail and wind damage from the ground

You do not need to climb a ladder to gather useful evidence. Walk the property once the storm has passed and look for these clues.

Hail

• Fresh dents on gutters, downspouts, window wraps, roof vents and the fins of the air-conditioning condenser.
• Spatter marks: bright spots where hail knocked grime off painted surfaces, decks and fences.
• Piles of shingle granules at downspout outlets.
• Chips or holes in vinyl siding and torn window screens, usually on the side facing the storm.

Wind

• Missing shingle tabs, or pieces of shingle in the yard.
• Shingles that are lifted or flapping, or that show a straight crease where a gust bent them back.
• Loose ridge cap, with damage concentrated along edges, rakes and the slope facing the wind.
• Limbs on the roof or punctures from flying debris.

Not every mark is storm damage. Blistering, foot-traffic scuffs, normal granule loss on an aging roof and age cracking all look different to a trained eye, and insurers do not pay for wear and tear. That is why a close inspection matters. Our storm damage repair crews photograph every slope, including the ones that came through fine.

Confirming the storm date with NWS and NOAA reports

Weather records help establish that a damaging storm reached your area on a specific date. Useful sources:

• NWS Chicago event summaries. After significant storms, the local National Weather Service office often publishes a write-up with maps, hail sizes and wind reports.
• Storm Prediction Center daily reports. Preliminary hail, wind and tornado reports from spotters and the public, plotted by place and time.
• NOAA’s Storm Events Database. The official, quality-controlled record, which is finalized weeks to months after an event.

Save a screenshot or PDF with the date. Keep in mind that these are point reports from wherever an observer happened to be. No report on your street does not mean no hail fell there, and a report nearby does not prove your roof was damaged. The physical evidence on your own roof matters most.

How to document a hail damage roof insurance claim in Illinois

A hail damage roof insurance claim in Illinois is easier to support when the paper trail is in order before the adjuster arrives. Work through these steps in order:

1. Protect the house first. If water is getting in, catch it, move belongings and arrange a temporary tarp. Policies generally expect reasonable steps to prevent further damage, so keep the receipts.
2. Photograph wide, then close. Shoot each side of the house, then each damaged item. Phone photos with their automatic date stamps are fine.
3. Record the storm. Note the date and time, save weather reports, and photograph hailstones next to a ruler if you have them.
4. Capture the inside. Ceiling stains, wet insulation, broken windows and anything else the storm affected.
5. Get a roof inspection. A roofer can safely photograph every slope, measure the roof and check the attic. Ask for the photos and a written summary.
6. Notify your insurer promptly. Check your policy for reporting deadlines. Many require prompt notice, and some limit how long you have to finish repairs and collect withheld depreciation.
7. Keep a claim log. Record the claim number, the adjuster’s name and contact details, every call and email, and copies of everything you send.

How a roof claim is paid: ACV, RCV, depreciation and supplements

After you report the loss, the insurer assigns an adjuster who inspects the roof and writes an estimate, often in Xactimate, estimating software widely used by insurers. Expect these terms on that estimate:

• Replacement cost value (RCV): the estimated cost to repair or replace the damaged items with similar new materials.
• Depreciation: a reduction for the age and condition of what was damaged.
• Actual cash value (ACV): RCV minus depreciation.
• Deductible: your share, subtracted from the payment. Some policies use a separate wind and hail deductible calculated as a percentage of the dwelling coverage.
• Recoverable depreciation: on replacement cost policies, the withheld depreciation the insurer releases once the work is finished and documented, within the policy’s deadline.
• Supplement: a request to add items the first estimate missed or that surfaced during the work, such as damaged decking, an extra layer of old roofing, or components required by the local building code. The insurer reviews it and decides.

Some policies pay roofs only at actual cash value, or follow a payment schedule tied to roof age. If your mortgage lender is named on the policy, the check may be made out to both of you.

Read the declarations page and any roof endorsements before work starts, so the numbers hold no surprises. To see how those figures relate to a full project price, read our roof replacement cost guide.

Illinois rules for roofing contractors on insurance claims

Illinois law draws a firm line around a contractor’s role in an insurance claim. Under Section 18 of the Home Repair and Remodeling Act (815 ILCS 513/18):

• A contractor may not advertise or promise to pay or rebate any portion of your insurance deductible as an inducement to buy its services.
• A contractor may not call in or file a claim with your insurer on your behalf.
• A contractor may not represent you, or offer to represent you, on an insurance claim for roof or exterior work. Representing a policyholder on a claim is the job of a public adjuster, who must be licensed by the Illinois Department of Insurance.
• Contracts, bids and advertisements for roofing work must show the contractor’s Illinois roofing license name and number.
• If you sign a contract that will be paid from an insurance claim, you have a limited right to cancel it after your insurer tells you that all or part of the claim is not covered. The window is short and measured in business days, the contract must explain it, and the contractor must return your payments within 10 days of a valid cancellation.

The same Act requires a written contract for home repair work costing more than $1,000.

Within those rules, ALTA provides documentation support: dated photos of every slope, measurements, an Xactimate-format line-item scope, and a representative who meets the adjuster on site to walk the roof together. The coverage decision belongs to your insurer. Our insurance claim documentation page explains what that support includes.

Storm-chaser red flags after a hailstorm

Every large hailstorm brings crews knocking on doors, and the Illinois Attorney General’s office routinely warns residents about storm-related repair scams. Its guidance, together with the state rules above, adds up to a short list of warning signs:

• Someone knocks unannounced, offers a “free inspection” and insists your roof is obviously damaged.
• You are pressed to sign today, or to sign a form “just so we can talk to your insurance company.”
• The contractor wants full payment, or a large deposit in cash or through Venmo or Zelle, before any work starts.
• They offer to cover, waive or “work with” your deductible.
• They say they will handle your claim or negotiate with your insurer for you.
• No Illinois roofing license number appears on the paperwork, or the license does not show up on the state’s online lookup.
• There is no local business address, only a cell number.

Before you sign, get more than one written estimate, confirm the roofing license with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, and check for complaints through the Attorney General’s consumer fraud hotline. Our guide to checking an Illinois roofer’s license walks through the lookup.