How to Spot Hail Damage on Your Roof (and What to Do Next)

Hail damage is sneaky. A roof can take a beating in June and not leak until the following March, long after the insurance clock started ticking. Most Minnesota policies give you a limited window to file — often one year from the storm date, sometimes two — so knowing what hail damage actually looks like, and checking soon after a storm, protects both your roof and your claim.

Start on the ground, not the ladder

You don’t need to climb anything to build a strong first impression. Walk the property and look at the soft metals: gutters, downspouts, window wraps, the mailbox, the AC condenser fins. Hail big enough to hurt shingles almost always dents these first. Check window screens for tears and look at the grill vents on the roofline with binoculars. Dented soft metal on the north and west faces tells you which slopes took the hit.

What hail does to shingles

On the roof itself, hail leaves round bruises — spots where granules are knocked away and the black asphalt mat shows through, often soft to the touch like a bruised apple. You may also find granules piling up in gutters and at downspout exits. What hail damage is not: neat horizontal lines of wear (that’s age), curling edges (age again), or damage that only appears above attic vents (usually blistering). Adjusters know the difference, and so should whoever inspects your roof.

What to do next, in order

First, document the date. Save a weather report or a photo of hail in your yard with a timestamp — claims live and die on storm dates. Second, get a professional inspection before you call your insurer. If the roof is genuinely fine, you’ve avoided an unnecessary claim on your record; if it’s damaged, you’ll open the claim with evidence instead of a hunch. Third, beware of anyone who knocks on your door promising a free roof before they’ve been on it. We covered those folks in detail in our storm-chaser guide — the short version is: local, licensed, referenced, or no.

We inspect storm-hit roofs across the Twin Cities at no charge, photograph everything, and give you a straight answer — including “your roof is fine,” which we say more often than you’d think. If your neighborhood caught hail this season, learn how our storm damage process works or call (651) 565-1349 before your claim window quietly closes.