You heard the hail. You saw the dents on your car. Now you're looking up at your roof wondering: is it damaged?
The honest answer is that you probably can't tell from the ground. Hail damage on a roof is almost never visible from the street, and that's exactly what makes it dangerous. The damage sits there, quietly degrading your shingles, until a leak shows up in your ceiling six months later - at which point your insurance filing window may have already closed.
Here's what hail actually does to a roof, how to check for it safely, and when to call a professional.
What Hail Damage Looks Like on Asphalt Shingles
Hail doesn't crack asphalt shingles the way it cracks a windshield. Instead, it bruises them. A hail strike compresses the granule layer and fractures the fiberglass mat underneath. From the ground, the shingle looks fine. Up close, you'll see:
- Random dents or dark spots where granules have been knocked loose
- Soft spots that give when you press them (like a bruise on an apple)
- Exposed black substrate where the protective granule layer is gone
- Circular or irregular impact patterns scattered across the roof
The key identifier: hail damage is RANDOM. It doesn't follow a line or a pattern. If the marks run in straight lines, that's usually foot traffic or manufacturing defects, not hail.
What to Check from the Ground (Safely)
You should never climb on your roof to check for damage. But you can look for evidence from the ground:
- Check your gutters and downspouts for dents, cracks, or granule buildup. If your gutters are dented, your roof almost certainly is too.
- Look at your siding, window frames, and AC unit for hail strikes. Soft metals (aluminum siding, AC fins, mailboxes) show damage more easily than shingles.
- Check painted surfaces like decks, fences, and window sills for chipped paint from hail impacts.
- Look for granules - the sand-like coating on shingles - collecting in your gutters or at the base of your downspouts. Some granule loss is normal on new roofs, but heavy accumulation after a storm is a warning sign.
When Hail Damage Requires a Professional Inspection
If any of the following are true, call a licensed roofing contractor for a free inspection:
- Your area received hail of 1 inch or larger (quarter-sized or bigger)
- Your car, siding, or outdoor furniture shows dents or damage
- Your neighbors are getting their roofs replaced
- Your roof is more than 10 years old (older shingles are more brittle and more vulnerable)
- You can see granules in your gutters that weren't there before the storm
Northern Illinois averages 10 to 15 days per year with hail of 1 inch or larger. The Chicago metro's storm season runs from April through September, with the highest risk from May through July. If a major storm passed through your area, the odds that your roof was affected are high.
The Timeline That Matters
Here's what most homeowners don't know: your insurance policy has a deadline for filing storm damage claims and completing repairs. In most cases, you have 12 to 24 months from the date of the storm (the "date of loss") to complete the work and request your full payment, including recoverable depreciation.
If you wait too long - even if the damage is real and documented - you can lose thousands of dollars that your policy would have covered.
What to Do Right Now
If you suspect hail damage, the safest and cheapest thing you can do is get a professional inspection. A reputable roofing company will inspect your roof at no charge, document what they find, and tell you honestly whether you have a claim. At Eagle Star, our inspections are free and come with a full damage report - whether or not you hire us.
Call (224) 490-3939 or request your free inspection at eaglestarroof.com.