How to Check Your Roof for Hail Damage: Step by Step

After a hailstorm rolls through your neighborhood, the first question on every homeowner's mind is whether their roof was damaged. The challenge is that hail damage is often invisible from the ground and can go undetected for months — slowly causing leaks, mold, and structural deterioration. This step-by-step guide will help you assess your property after a storm and know when to call in a professional.

Step 1: Start from the Ground

Before you even think about getting on a ladder, walk around your property and look for signs of hail impact at ground level. Hail does not just hit your roof — it hits everything. Ground-level damage is a reliable indicator that your roof was likely hit too.

What to Look For on the Ground

Dented gutters and downspouts — Run your hand along the gutters. Hail dents feel like small dimples or craters in the metal. If your gutters have circular dents, your roof almost certainly took impacts as well.

Damaged siding — Check vinyl, wood, and fiber cement siding for cracks, chips, and dents. Aluminum siding will show clear dents similar to gutters.

Cracked or chipped window screens — Window screens are thin and highly susceptible to hail. Tears, holes, or bent frames indicate significant hail intensity.

Dented outdoor units — Air conditioning condensers, mailboxes, and metal fencing are all indicators. If your AC unit has fresh dents, the storm was strong enough to damage your roof.

Splatter marks on decks and driveways — Hail often leaves behind dirt and granule splatter marks on hard surfaces. These circular marks indicate the size and density of the hail that fell.

Damage to cars — Dents on vehicles parked outside are one of the clearest indicators of hail size and severity.

Step 2: Check Soft Metals First

Before examining the roof itself, check the soft metals on your property. These are the most sensitive indicators of hail activity.

Roof vents and flashing — Metal vents, pipe boots, and roof flashing are softer than shingles and show damage more clearly. Look for fresh dents that expose shiny metal beneath weathered surfaces.

Chimney caps — Metal chimney caps dent easily. Fresh ding marks that do not match the weathering pattern around them indicate recent hail.

Valley metal — If your roof has metal valleys, check for dimples and dents running along the valley line.

Step 3: Examine the Shingles

If ground-level evidence suggests your roof was hit, the next step is examining the shingles themselves. Important: do not walk on your roof unless you have proper safety equipment and experience. Walking on a damaged roof can worsen existing damage and create safety hazards.

Signs of Hail Damage on Asphalt Shingles

Granule loss — This is the most common sign. Hail knocks loose the protective granules, leaving dark circular spots on the shingle surface. Check your gutters and downspout splash pads for accumulations of granules — some loss is normal, but heavy deposits after a storm indicate damage.

Bruising — Press gently on dark spots on the shingle. If the area feels soft or spongy compared to the surrounding surface, the underlying mat has been compromised. This is called a "bruise" and it weakens the shingle's waterproofing.

Cracks and fractures — Larger hail can crack shingles outright. Look for hairline cracks or star-pattern fractures radiating from an impact point.

Exposed fiberglass mat — Severe impacts can knock away enough material to expose the fiberglass layer beneath the granules. This appears as a white or light-colored spot and means the shingle is no longer protecting your home.

Broken or missing shingles — In extreme cases, hail combined with wind can break off pieces of shingles entirely.

Signs of Hail Damage on Metal Roofs

Dents and dimples — The most obvious sign. Fresh dents will be circular and randomly distributed across the roof surface.

Scratches in the finish — Hail can scratch through the paint or coating on metal panels, exposing bare metal that can rust over time.

Damaged seams — Check where panels overlap. Dents near seams can break the seal and create potential leak points.

Step 4: Look for Patterns

Hail damage has a distinctive pattern that helps distinguish it from other types of wear. Genuine hail damage is:

Random — Impacts are scattered irregularly across the surface, not concentrated in specific areas like wear patterns.

Circular or oval — Each impact point is roughly round, matching the shape of a hailstone.

Concentrated on exposed surfaces — The side of the roof facing the storm direction typically shows more damage than protected slopes.

Consistent with ground-level damage — If you see dents on gutters, vents, and shingles, the pattern is consistent with a hail event.

Step 5: Why You Should Not Walk on Your Roof

It is tempting to climb up and check things yourself, but there are important reasons to leave roof inspections to professionals:

Safety risk — Steep or wet roofs are extremely dangerous. Falls from roofs are one of the leading causes of home injury.

You can worsen damage — Walking on hail-damaged shingles can crack compromised shingles further, turning repairable damage into replaceable damage.

Insurance considerations — If you cause additional damage during a self-inspection, it may complicate your insurance claim.

Professional tools — Roofers use specialized equipment and have trained eyes for spotting damage that homeowners often miss.

Step 6: Know When to Call a Professional

You should contact a licensed roofing contractor for an inspection if:

You can see any of the ground-level damage indicators listed above

Your area experienced hail of 1 inch or larger

Your roof is more than 10 years old and a storm passed through

A neighbor has confirmed hail damage on their property

Your HailScore shows multiple hail events near your address

Most reputable roofing companies offer free hail damage inspections. They will document the damage with photos and provide a written estimate that you can use when filing your insurance claim.

Step 7: Know Your Filing Deadlines

This is critical. Most states have a statute of limitations for filing hail damage claims, typically ranging from one to two years from the date of the storm. Some policies have even shorter notification windows. Waiting too long can mean paying for repairs entirely out of pocket.

This is where knowing the exact dates of storms near your address becomes valuable. Insurance companies will ask for the specific storm date when you file a claim.

Check Your Storm History First

Before calling a contractor, check your HailScore to see exactly which storms have hit near your address, how large the hail was, and how recently they occurred. This gives you data-backed evidence to bring to your inspection and insurance claim.

Check your HailScore for free — see every hailstorm near your home in the last 10 years. Instant results, no signup required.