Storm Damage Roof Repair After Hail and High Wind

Signs you may need storm damage repair

• Round dents or bright spatter marks on gutters, downspouts, box vents or air-conditioner fins
• Piles of granules at downspout outlets after the storm
• Dark, circular spots on shingles where the granule coating is gone
• Shingles creased across the top, or lying loose because the seal strip let go
• Cracked vinyl siding, split window wraps or a broken skylight lens
• Contractor yard signs or roofing crews on several houses along your street after the same storm

How big does hail have to be to damage a roof?

The National Weather Service calls hail severe at 1 inch across, about the size of a quarter. That is also roughly where functional damage to asphalt shingles tends to begin, with some important qualifiers:

• Under 1 inch (pea to penny size): usually cosmetic on a sound roof, though it can still dent soft metals and shred window screens.
• About 1–1¼ inches: enough to bruise older or brittle three-tab shingles. Heavier laminated architectural shingles often hold up until stones reach about 1¼ inches.
• 1½ inches and up (ping-pong ball, then golf ball at 1¾): damage to fairly new shingles becomes likely, along with cracked skylights and split vinyl.

Size is not the whole story. Wind-driven hail strikes harder and at an angle, so the slopes facing the storm take most of the hits. Older, sun-baked shingles break more easily than new ones. And research from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, published in 2025, found that repeated rounds of smaller hail followed by weathering can leave shingles much more vulnerable to the next big storm.

Clues on the ground: dented soft metals and hail spatter

Before anyone climbs a ladder, the rest of the property usually tells us whether hail fell and roughly how big it was. We check:

• Aluminum gutters, downspouts and gutter guards for round dents.
• Box vents, turbine vents, ridge-vent end caps and chimney caps.
• Painted window trim, garage-door panels and the fins of the air-conditioner condenser.
• Mailboxes, grills and patio furniture on the same side of the house.

Fresh hail also leaves spatter marks, bright spots where impacts knocked off oxidation and grime. They fade within weeks, which is one reason to book an inspection soon after a storm. One caution: dented metal proves hail fell, not that the roof was harmed. Shingles are judged on their own, by lifting, feeling and photographing individual hits.

Wind leaves a different trail: tabs in the yard, shingles creased where they folded back, lifted ridge cap, and missing pieces concentrated at rakes, corners and the ridge line.

Photographing storm damage the way adjusters review it

A useful storm record is organized, dated and measurable. Ours includes:

1. Overall photos of each elevation, so every close-up has context.
2. A marked test area on each slope, commonly 10 by 10 feet, with hits circled in chalk and counted.
3. Close-ups of individual bruises and creases with a ruler or coin for scale.
4. Collateral damage to metals, siding and screens that helps establish storm size and direction.
5. Interior evidence, such as new ceiling stains or wet attic insulation, when there is any.

You keep the full set. If you decide to report the loss, the same report supports your conversation with the adjuster. Our insurance documentation support page explains how far our role goes, and the hail and wind insurance guide follows a claim from storm to settlement.

Storm damage roof repair when new shingles or siding will not match

Hail repairs often raise a matching problem. Shingle colors drift between production runs, lines get discontinued, and a decade of sun changes how the existing roof looks. A small repair on a rear slope can blend in fine. A patch of fresh shingles on the street-facing slope, or a few new vinyl panels on a faded wall, may not.

Whether an insurer pays to replace undamaged material so everything matches depends on your policy wording, and some carriers sell a specific matching endorsement. What we can do is show the problem clearly: we identify the existing product where possible, note whether it is still made, and photograph the closest available shingle or panel held against the old one. The coverage decision belongs to your insurer.

Door-knocker red flags and the Illinois rules that apply

After major storms, the Illinois Attorney General warns homeowners about storm chasers: crews who arrive after hail, knock on doors offering "free" inspections, and push for a signature on the spot. Be cautious when a contractor:

• Offers to pay, waive or "absorb" your deductible. Illinois law prohibits contractors from advertising or promising to pay or rebate any part of an insurance deductible.
• Wants cash, Venmo or Zelle up front, before any materials arrive.
• Says they will take over your claim. Illinois restricts contractors from representing or negotiating for homeowners on storm-repair insurance claims; a roofer's proper role is documentation support.
• Cannot give you an Illinois roofing license number. Roofing contractors are licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, and any license can be checked online; our guide to verifying an Illinois roofing license shows how.
• Has no local address, or skips the written contract. Illinois requires one for home repair work over $1,000.

Get more than one written estimate, and do not let urgency on the doorstep make the decision for you.

What it costs

A storm visit can end with a few re-sealed tabs or a complete re-roof. Typical repair ranges are listed below. When a full replacement is warranted, our reference home (a two-story house on a 2,000 sq ft footprint, in architectural shingles) generally comes in around $16,400–$24,300.

On an insured loss, your out-of-pocket share is set by your deductible and policy terms.

How the work goes

1. Ground check

   Soft metals, siding and screens are examined for hail size and direction before anyone climbs up.

2. Slope-by-slope inspection

   Each slope is walked where safe, with test areas marked and individual hits photographed.

3. Photo report and recommendation

   You get the photos, our read on whether the damage is functional or cosmetic, and a line-item scope.

4. Repair or replace

   Work is scheduled once you decide how to proceed and, if you filed a claim, after the adjuster has seen the damage.

Storm Damage Repair questions

How soon after a hailstorm should the roof be inspected?

Within a few weeks is ideal. Spatter marks on metal fade, loose granules wash away, and the longer you wait, the harder it is to tie damage to one storm. Your policy may also set a time limit for reporting a loss, so check it rather than relying on a rule of thumb.

Can a roof have hail damage without leaking?

Yes, and that is the usual case. A bruised shingle keeps shedding water at first, but the cracked mat underneath loses granules faster and splits over the following seasons, so leaks can appear long after the storm is forgotten. If water is already coming in, start with emergency roof repair.

How can I tell wind damage from hail damage?

Hail leaves round bruises scattered across the slopes that faced the storm. Wind works from the edges: creased or missing tabs along rakes, eaves and ridges, and shingles that lift easily because their seal strip released. Many storms bring both, and our photo report labels each kind separately.

Are impact-resistant shingles worth it after hail damage?

If your area sees repeated hail, it is worth pricing. Shingles rated Class 4 under UL 2218 resist impacts better than standard laminates, and some insurers offer a premium credit for them, so ask your agent. A claim normally pays for like kind and quality; the price difference for an upgrade is usually yours. Compare options on our impact-resistant shingles page.