Storm Damage Roof Repair

Why storm damage is easy to miss

Hail bruises the asphalt mat under a shingle's surface granules without necessarily cracking it open, and wind can lift a shingle's seal without tearing it loose entirely. Neither shows up as an obvious hole or a missing section from ground level. Both let water in slowly over the following months rather than immediately, which is exactly why a roof that "looked fine" after a storm sometimes leaks the following winter.

What a post-storm inspection actually checks

• Granule loss and soft, circular bruising on every shingle course, not just a visible sample area
• Lifted, creased, or torn shingle tabs, especially along ridges, edges, and corners where wind uplift concentrates
• Dented or damaged flashing, vents, and gutters, which often show impact more clearly than the shingles themselves
• Granule accumulation in gutters and downspouts, one of the more reliable ground-level clues that a hail event was significant

A full-roof photo walkthrough documents all of this regardless of what repairs turn out to be needed.

Two kinds of storm damage, two pages

• Hail Damage Repair — bruising, granule loss, and cracked shingles
• Wind Damage Repair — lifted, creased, and torn shingles from straight-line wind

Why timing matters

Damage from a specific storm is easiest to document and match to that event soon after it happens — granule loss and bruising can be harder to distinguish from ordinary aging the longer a roof goes uninspected. If a storm has come through recently, sooner is better.