What does hail damage on shingles look like, and when does it need a repair?

Hail damage on shingles shows up as dents or bruises and as small round spots where the granules have been knocked off to the dark asphalt beneath. Larger hail can also crack or tear the shingle, and the same storm often dents gutters, metal vents and cars, a sign that hail was the cause. A cracked, torn or punctured shingle needs a repair, because that is where water gets in. Scattered granule loss on a sound roof may not leak yet, but it ages the shingles faster, so get it documented.

Hail falls less often in the eastern United States, the Lehigh Valley included, than on the Great Plains. It is usually less severe here too, according to the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS). Because big hail is unusual, few people expect roof damage from a storm that leaves the yard looking normal, and the marks go unnoticed until a stain appears on a ceiling.

This guide covers what hail does to a shingle, how to check without a ladder, how to tell hail from age and when to repair. It also covers insurance in general terms, and how we handle hail and other storm damage.

What does hail do to an asphalt shingle?

An asphalt shingle is a fiberglass mat soaked in asphalt and topped with granules, small coated stones that shield it from the sun. Hail dents the shingle, knocks granules loose, and with enough force cracks or tears it. IBHS grades shingles on those same kinds of damage when it tests them.

On a roof, that usually looks like this:

• Dark, roughly round spots where the granules are gone and the asphalt shows
• Shallow dents or bruises that are hard to see from any distance
• Cracks or chipped edges, since the edges and corners are among the weakest points of a shingle
• Dents in metal vents, pipe collars and flashing on the same slopes

Take the bruise seriously. It may not show from the ground, yet the shingle can crack there later and let water through.

How can you check for hail damage without going up on the roof?

Stay on the ground. A roof after a storm is wet and scattered with loose granules, and no shingle is worth a fall.

Start with what the hail hit on the way down. Dents in the car, the grill or a metal mailbox, torn screens and chipped siding all tell you hail came through. Wind can drive hail at an angle, so begin on the side of the house that faced the storm.

Next, the gutters and downspouts. Fresh dents in aluminum are easy to spot, and so is a pile of granules at the bottom of a downspout. A few granules are normal on a newer roof. A thick layer after one storm is not.

Then look over every slope you can see, with binoculars if you have them, for dark spots where the granules are gone. There is more on checking a roof after any storm in our storm damage roof checklist.

How big does hail have to be to damage a roof?

There is no single cutoff. NOAA's National Severe Storms Laboratory counts hail the size of a quarter, one inch across, or larger as severe. Bigger stones carry more energy into the roof.

Smaller hail still matters, and it falls far more often than large hail. IBHS research on small hail found that it knocks granules off asphalt shingles, which leaves the asphalt exposed and speeds up aging. Shingles hit by repeated small hail were also much easier to damage when large hail came later.

Hail is patchy, too. NOAA notes that it falls in swaths, some only a few acres across. Say a July storm drops penny-sized hail on your street in Bethlehem while four blocks away it only rains. A roof a few streets over tells you little about yours, and since most hail is never reported, IBHS says, a quiet news day proves nothing either.

Is it hail damage or just an aging roof?

From the ground the two can look alike, and your insurer will care which is which. Shingles age even without storms. On its own test roofs, with no storm involved, IBHS has recorded granule loss, blisters, curling tabs and nails backing out.

A roof can have both, and homeowners policies pay for sudden damage, not wear. Telling the two apart is far easier up close, which is part of what a roof inspection is for. Our post on why roof insurance claims are denied covers the wear and tear problem.

When does hail damage need a repair?

When the hail has opened the shingle up. A crack, a tear, a puncture or a bruise that has broken through can all let water in. That water does not always show up inside where it entered. A split pipe collar, a loose vent cap or flashing that no longer lies flat can leak too, even with sound shingles around it.

Light granule loss on a younger roof is a closer call. It may not leak this year. It does shorten the life of those shingles, so record it with dated photos even if nothing is fixed yet.

When most of a slope is damaged, replacing shingles one at a time stops making sense. The question becomes that slope or the whole roof. That is a call for a roofer standing on it. Our pages on roof repairs and roof replacement explain both.

Does homeowners insurance cover hail damage?

In most states it does. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners says homeowners policies in most states cover windstorm and hail damage, with some coastal policies the exception. What your policy pays toward a roof depends on details like these:

• Replacement cost or actual cash value. Actual cash value allows for the age and wear of the roof, and the NAIC warns that it often does not pay enough for a full repair.
• Your deductible, including any separate percentage deductible for some storms.
• The condition of the roof before the storm, since a homeowners policy is not a maintenance contract.

That is general information, not advice on a claim. Your agent or insurer can explain your own policy, and the Pennsylvania Insurance Department answers consumer questions too. We can assist with the claim through our roof insurance claim help, but whether the damage is covered is your insurer's decision.

Will impact-resistant shingles keep it from happening again?

They help, but nothing makes a roof hail-proof. Impact-resistant shingles have passed a lab test such as UL 2218, which drops steel balls on the shingle and grades it from Class 1 to Class 4. UL's own scope for the standard says the test does not account for aging and does not directly predict how a shingle handles real hail. IBHS tests shingles bought off retail shelves with lab-made hailstones instead, and in its 2025 ratings none rated Excellent. If your roof is being replaced after a hailstorm, ask which product is going on and, if it is sold as impact resistant, how IBHS rated it.

What does a roof inspection after hail include?

We recommend a roof inspection after severe weather, hail included, and assessing roofs after storms is work we specialize in. We examine the exterior for damaged or missing shingles, signs of wear and anything else visible. We check the attic for insulation, ventilation and signs of water damage, and look through the house for stains. Then you receive a detailed report of what we found, with our recommendations for any repairs or maintenance.

If the report shows hail damage, our storm damage repair work begins with the critical repairs that keep the damage from spreading, and ends with the roof fully restored. We serve homeowners throughout the Lehigh Valley, and hablamos español if Spanish is easier for you.

What should you do in the first few days after a hailstorm?

1. Stay off the roof and off ladders. Look from the ground and from upstairs windows.
2. Write down the date and time of the storm. If you can safely pick up a hailstone afterward, photograph it next to a ruler or a coin.
3. Photograph dents on the car, gutters, vents, screens and siding, and any granules at the downspouts, before anything is cleaned up.
4. Check the ceilings after the next rain, and the attic if you can reach it safely.
5. Read the roof section of your policy, or ask your agent about it, before you decide anything about a claim.
6. Book an inspection, and take your time with anyone who knocks on the door after the storm offering a quick roof.

Keep the photos and notes together, so they are ready when a roofer or your insurer asks for them.