How does hail damage show up on an asphalt shingle roof?
Hail bruises an asphalt shingle by breaking the granules and sometimes cracking the mat underneath. The bruise may be dark, soft to the touch or bare, and the damage can be real even when the shingle still looks whole from the ground.
A shingle is a fiberglass or organic mat coated with asphalt and covered with mineral granules. Hail strikes the granules first. Where the impact is hard enough, the granules are knocked off, the asphalt underneath is exposed, and the mat can crack. Over time the exposed asphalt dries and ages faster than the granule-covered parts of the same shingle, so a hit from one storm can become a leak several years later.
That is why the technician presses the suspect spots and looks for granule loss on the surface, not just for holes. A shingle can have a cracked mat and still shed water for a season, and a shingle can have a bruise and no crack at all. The inspection records both, and the repair decision uses both.
Which parts of the roof does hail hit first?
Hail hits the windward side of the roof hardest, and it finds soft metal before it finds asphalt. Vents, gutter runs and flashing are often the most useful evidence on a house, because a dent in aluminum is hard to explain by anything else.
Hail is carried by the wind, so the side of the house facing the storm usually shows more damage than the leeward side. A roof can show heavy hits on the north or west slope and little on the south, and the inspection records each slope on its own so the pattern is visible.
Metal is the clearest witness. A roof vent cap, a ridge vent or a metal flashing edge that shows round dents is showing the size and direction of the hail. The technician notes the dent size where it can be measured, and treats a dent in a metal part as a second line of evidence beside the shingle count.
What does a hail inspection record, and how is it measured?
The inspection records hits per test square on each slope, with photographs, the location and the condition of the metal. The count is a measure of what is on the roof, and it is written so a reader who was not on the roof can follow it.
A test square is a marked area on a slope, usually about ten feet by ten feet, where every hit is counted and marked. The same square is measured on each slope, so the counts can be compared across the roof. A slope with many hits in its test square is a slope where the shingles need to be looked at closely, and a slope with few hits is recorded as well, so the report does not overstate the damage.
The photographs are taken with the test square in frame, and each marked hit is labelled. The report also notes the roof's age as the homeowner gives it, because the age decides how a repair or a replacement is weighed. The record does not state what the insurer will pay. That decision belongs to the insurer and to the policy.
Can a hail-damaged roof be repaired instead of replaced?
Sometimes. A few cracked or bruised shingles on one slope can often be replaced. Widespread granule loss or cracked mats across several slopes usually points toward replacement, and the age of the roof is part of that decision.
Repairs are weighed against the whole roof. Replacing a few shingles is useful only when the shingles match the rest of the roof closely enough to lie flat and weather the same way. Older shingles are often discontinued or faded, and a mismatched patch can leak at the seam even when it looks neat.
When hits are spread over most slopes, a repair buys time but not much more. The technician states which option the findings support and why, and gives the cost of each option when you ask. The decision stays with the owner, and a second opinion is fair to ask for on any large job.
When should a hail inspection happen after a storm?
As soon as the storm has passed and the roof can be walked safely. Early visits show fresher bruises, and an early written record is easier to rely on later if a claim is opened.
The first days matter because some damage changes quickly. Granules that were knocked loose wash into gutters, and a bruise that is dark on day one can weather to a faint mark over several weeks. A roof that has been hit by hail should not be left open, so if the roof has a tear or a leak, a temporary cover comes first and the full inspection follows.
The line is answered 24/7 on (833) 751-2102, and a crew is sent as soon as one is free. If the storm has already passed and the roof is intact, an inspection can be booked for a time that suits you. The inspection does not require you to be home, but it helps to have the attic access open and any earlier repair records to hand.
