Home / Learn / What Hail Damage Looks Like
On an asphalt shingle, hail damage looks like a dark, roughly circular bruise where the impact crushed granules into the mat — often soft to the thumb, and nearly invisible from the ground. It’s easy to confuse with blistering and plain old wear, so the three are shown side by side below. Fresh bruises after a hailstorm are worth documenting promptly.
Three things that look alike from a ladder — only one of them is storm damage.
You don’t need to climb anything. These are the ground-level tells.
We inspect, photograph, and give you a written, itemized estimate — and we can meet your adjuster on the roof. We never negotiate settlements, never waive or cover deductibles, and no one can promise your claim will be approved. How the claim process works →
They block UV from the asphalt underneath. Crush them into the mat and that spot ages years in months — which is why hail damage shows up as leaks two winters later.
Hail crossed parts of Wyoming County on April 29, 2025 — most roofs in the path were never checked. See the hail-damage page →
From the ground: photograph anything visible — missing shingles, dented gutters, hail in the yard, debris. Don’t climb up. Then book an inspection promptly; the longer a breach sits open, the more damage stacks up and the harder any claim gets.
Yes. A bruise is a soft spot the size of the hailstone, the same color as the roof from thirty feet away. That’s why insurers send adjusters onto roofs — and why we photograph every slope up close during a free check.
Not automatically. Light, scattered bruising on a younger roof may only warrant repairs or monitoring. Widespread bruising ages the whole surface. We photograph what we find and give you the honest read either way — sometimes the answer is “your roof is fine.”
Policies require prompt notice, and most carriers apply a practical filing window of a year or two — check your policy. Either way, an inspection is free and the documentation is yours to keep.
Every slope photographed, every finding in writing — yours to keep whether you file a claim or not.
Bruise, blister, or just age — we’ll photograph it, name it, and put the answer in writing. No pressure either way.
