Storm damage to a roof: what counts, and what to do about it

What is considered storm damage to a roof?

Storm damage is physical damage caused by a sudden weather event: hail impact that bruises or fractures the shingle mat, wind that lifts, creases or removes shingles or breaks their sealant strips, and impact from wind-driven debris. What separates it from everything else is that it happened at an identifiable moment rather than accumulating over years.

That distinction is the whole ball game for an insurance claim. Ultraviolet aging, curling edges, normal granule loss, blistering and general wear are deterioration, and the Texas Department of Insurance states that your insurance company will not pay for a new roof just because it is old or worn out.

The practical difficulty is that a storm-damaged roof and a worn roof can look similar in a photograph taken from the ground six weeks later. Which is why the timing and the quality of the documentation matter more than almost anything else.

Hail damage vs wind damage

They are different mechanisms, they leave different marks, and they are assessed differently.

The two arrive together often enough that both need checking after any significant storm. Detailed identification guides: hail damage and wind damage.

Signs of storm damage you can check from the ground

None of these are a diagnosis, and none of them replace getting on the roof. They are reasons to have it looked at.

• Granules in the gutters or at the base of downspouts. Some granule loss is normal on a new roof. A noticeable accumulation after a hail storm is not.
• Shingle pieces or whole tabs in the yard.
• Dents in soft metals. Gutters, downspouts, vents, air-conditioning condenser fins, mailboxes, fence caps. These record hail impact clearly and are often the evidence that establishes an event happened at all.
• Torn window screens or damaged siding.
• Visible lifting or a wavy line across a slope, which suggests wind has broken the sealant strip.
• Interior signs — a ceiling stain, damp in the attic, daylight visible through the decking.

A roof can be significantly damaged with none of these present. Hail bruising in particular leaves a roof watertight while shortening its life considerably.

What to do in the first few days

This sequence follows TDI's published guidance for homeowners after hail or windstorms.

1. Make it safe and prevent further damage. Remove standing water, cover openings. Keep every receipt.
2. Do not make permanent repairs yet. TDI is explicit about this. Permanent repair before the insurer inspects destroys the evidence.
3. Document everything. Photograph and video the damage, keep a written list of what was damaged, and keep the damaged items themselves.
4. Note the date of the storm. And, if you can, the direction it came from. Both matter when the damage pattern is assessed.
5. Get the roof inspected properly. On the roof, every slope, photographed and dated.
6. Decide whether to file. Against your actual deductible, which for wind and hail may differ from the rest of your policy.
7. Be present for the adjuster. TDI recommends it, and it is your one chance to make sure everything gets looked at.
8. Get at least two bids. Also TDI's recommendation, along with checking references and the Better Business Bureau.

Storms in North Texas

We do not publish hail statistics for individual suburbs, because we have not found a primary source that supports claims at that level of detail. What the National Weather Service says about the metroplex as a whole is this:

“The frequency of thunderstorms and associated severe weather peaks during the spring.” “Large hail, damaging winds, flooding, and tornadoes occur nearly every year in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.”

— NOAA / National Weather Service Fort Worth — Dallas/Fort Worth Climate Narrative

That is a regional statement about the metroplex, not a claim about any particular neighborhood. It supports two practical conclusions: spring is when this is most likely to happen to you, and the fact that it happens somewhere in DFW most years is not evidence that it happened to your roof.

Leaks that appear after a storm

A leak that starts after a storm is not automatically storm damage, and this is a common source of denied claims. Wind-driven rain finds pre-existing weaknesses — a failed pipe boot, deteriorated flashing, an old repair that was never right — and the resulting leak is then attributed to the underlying defect rather than to the storm.

What separates the two is evidence of impact or mechanical damage at the point where the water is getting in. That means photographing the interior damage and the corresponding exterior location, and doing it before anything is repaired.

Meanwhile, contain it: move belongings, put something under the drip, and if a ceiling is holding water, understand that it will eventually come down. Keep the receipts for anything you spend on temporary protection — TDI specifically advises this.

Emergency tarping and temporary protection

Tarping is temporary protection to prevent further damage, and TDI's guidance expects you to take reasonable steps of exactly this kind. It is not a repair and it is not supposed to be.

Practical points:

• Photograph the damage before you cover it. Once the tarp is on, the evidence is underneath it.
• Keep receipts for materials and for any contractor who does the tarping.
• Do not go on a wet or damaged roof yourself. The most common serious injury after a storm is a homeowner on their own roof.
• Tarping is not a permanent repair, and it should not be sold to you as the first stage of a contract you have not evaluated.

Frequently asked questions