Hail Damage or Normal Wear? How to Tell After a Georgia Storm

Georgia gets its share of hail, and after a storm the same question comes up in every neighborhood: was my roof damaged? From the driveway, a hit roof and a healthy one can look exactly the same. Here is how to tell the difference.

What hail damage looks like

• Round or irregular dark spots where the granules were knocked off, often soft to the touch at first.
• Granules collecting in the gutters or at the bottom of the downspouts.
• Dents in metal vents, flashing, gutters and downspouts.
• Cracked or split shingles, especially on the slope that faced the storm.
• Dings on the siding, window screens, mailbox or outdoor furniture.

What normal wear looks like

An aging roof loses granules evenly over time, mostly on the sunniest slopes. Shingles curl or cup at the edges, and small cracks form in a random pattern. Blistering, where small bubbles form and pop, comes from heat and ventilation, not from a storm. The key difference is pattern: hail hits are scattered impacts, while wear is spread evenly across the surface.

Why it matters

Hail damage does not always leak right away. A bruised shingle can hold for a season or two before the mat breaks down and water gets in. By then it can be harder to connect the damage to the storm that caused it.

What to do after a storm

• Stay off the roof. Wet shingles are slippery and damaged ones can break under your feet.
• Take photos from the ground of anything dented or broken, and note the date of the storm.
• Have a roofer inspect it and document what they find with photos.
• Read your policy and call your insurance company if the inspection shows storm damage.

We inspect for storm and hail damage at no cost and give you the photos either way. If there is damage, we can walk you through the storm repair and insurance process from the first call to the final shingle.