Hail damage to a roof: what it looks like and what to do

What hail actually does to shingles

On asphalt, a hail strike knocks granules loose and bruises the mat underneath. The classic signature is a roughly circular dark spot where granules are missing, and a bruise that feels soft when pressed — like a fresh dent in an apple. That soft spot is the real damage, because the mat is what keeps water out once granules are gone.

Elsewhere it shows more obviously: dents on soft metal like vents, gutters, flashing and downspouts. Those are useful because they date the event and prove impact, which is exactly what an adjuster is looking for.

How to tell it from ordinary wear

Age-related granule loss is broad and even, heaviest on the slopes that get most sun, and it has been happening gradually. Hail damage is scattered, random and directional — concentrated on the slopes facing the storm.

Blistering can look similar and is not hail. Neither is mechanical damage from foot traffic, which tends to follow a path. The distinction matters because one is usually covered by insurance and the other is usually not.

Why you cannot judge it from the ground

Granule loss and mat bruising are simply not visible from a driveway, which is why someone telling you from the street that you have hail damage is not making an assessment. It cuts both ways: plenty of roofs with real damage look perfectly fine from below.

So the sequence is: get someone on the roof, get photographs of the actual strikes, and keep them. That evidence is what an adjuster works from and it is what protects you if the claim is disputed.

About the people who knock after a storm

A significant storm brings out-of-town contractors into a neighborhood, offering to handle the whole insurance claim. Some are fine. The pattern to be wary of is pressure to sign something on the spot, an offer to cover your deductible, or an assessment that never involved anyone going up.

You are entitled to take your time, ask for an MHIC number and an insurance certificate, and get a second opinion before signing anything. We will come out and tell you honestly whether what we see looks like storm damage — including when it does not, which happens regularly.