How to Identify Hail Damage on Asphalt Shingles
Hail damage on a shingle roof is easy to miss from the ground and easy to confuse with normal wear. This guide shows what to look for, where to look, and when a hail damage roof inspection is worth booking.
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Why hail damage hides on asphalt shingles
An asphalt shingle is a fiberglass mat coated in asphalt and topped with ceramic granules. The granules protect the asphalt from the sun. When a hailstone hits, it can knock granules loose, crack the asphalt, or bruise the mat underneath without breaking the surface.
That is why a roof can look fine from the driveway the day after a storm. The damage shows up months later as bald spots, curling or a slow leak. By then it is harder to connect the problem to one storm, and harder to document.
Texas gets plenty of hail. NOAA's Storm Prediction Center logged 202 hail reports within 10 miles of Plano from 2015 through 2024, 75 of them 1.75 inches or larger, which is golf ball size. Around Fort Worth the same source logged 143 reports in that period, 31 of them 1.75 inches or more. If your area sees hail like that, checking the roof after a storm is routine maintenance, not paranoia.
How much damage a storm does depends on more than stone size. Wind pushes hail at an angle, so one slope can take most of the hits while the opposite slope looks untouched. Older shingles are more brittle and lose granules more easily. A roof that has been through several storms may carry damage from more than one of them, which is another reason to check after each significant event.
The 6 signs of hail damage on shingles
Bruises or soft spots
Dark round spots where the asphalt feels soft when pressed lightly. The mat underneath may be fractured even if the surface looks intact.
Random granule loss
Small circles where granules are missing and black asphalt or fiberglass shows through. Hail marks are scattered, not in neat rows.
Cracked or split shingles
Circular or star-shaped cracks, often near the edges of a tab. Larger stones can split a shingle outright.
Exposed mat
When the asphalt is gone and you can see the fiberglass mat, water can soak in. This is damage that does not get better with time.
Granules piling up
A heavy layer of granules in gutters or at downspout exits right after a storm points to fresh impact.
Damaged seal strips
Impacts near the edge can break the bond that holds a shingle down, which leaves it open to wind later.
Hail damage vs normal wear: how to tell them apart
Not every bald spot is hail. Shingles age in the Texas sun, and some granule loss is normal on a roof that is 15 years or older. Blistering, where small bubbles pop and leave pits, comes from heat and trapped moisture, not impact. Foot traffic and tree limbs scraping the roof also leave marks.
Hail damage has a pattern. The marks are random, roughly round, and spread across the slopes that faced the storm. Wear is more uniform and tends to be worse on the sunniest slopes. Mechanical marks follow a path or sit under a branch. If you are not sure, that is exactly the question a trained inspector answers with photos.
Manufacturing defects and poor installation can also mimic hail. Shingles nailed too high, or a batch that sheds granules early, show problems in lines or patches rather than scattered impacts. Telling these apart matters, because the fix and the paperwork are different for each one.
Wind often comes with hail and leaves a different set of signs. Our guide to wind damage vs hail damage explains how to read both on the same roof.
A safe checklist you can do from the ground
Stay off the roof
Wet or damaged shingles are slippery and steep pitches are dangerous. Everything on this list can be done from the yard, a window or the attic.
Check soft metals first
Look for dents on gutters, downspouts, roof vents, the AC unit fins and mailbox. If the metal is dented, the shingles took the same hits.
Look at the gutters and splash blocks
Fresh piles of granules after the storm are a strong clue. Take a photo with something for scale.
Scan the slopes with binoculars
Look for dark spots, missing pieces or shingles that sit differently from their neighbors, especially on the side the storm came from.
Walk around the house
Check siding, window screens, fences and outdoor furniture for dents and splatter marks. These help show the size and direction of the hail.
Check the attic and ceilings
Look for damp insulation, water stains or light coming through. Note the date and take photos of anything you find.
What a professional hail damage roof inspection adds
A ground check tells you whether to worry. A hail damage roof inspection tells you what is actually there. An inspector walks every slope, marks impacts in a sample area, checks the shingles by touch for bruising, and looks at flashing, vents and pipe boots that hail can crack.
At GemSco, the inspection ends with photos of what we found and a written estimate of the repair or replacement it needs. That record helps you decide what to do, and it is useful if you choose to file a claim. Whether hail damage is covered depends on your policy and on your insurance company's decision, so the photos and the written estimate are what you bring to that conversation. If you want help with that step, see our page on roof insurance claims.
Hail does not only hit shingles. Inspectors also check metal flashing for dents that can open seams, plastic and metal roof vents for cracks, skylight frames and lenses, the rubber pipe boots around plumbing vents, and the gutters that carry water off the roof. A cracked vent or a split pipe boot can leak long before the shingles do, and it is easy to miss without someone on the roof.
When to call instead of waiting
Hail was 1 inch or larger, or your neighbors are getting roofs checked.
You see dents on gutters, vents or the AC unit.
Gutters filled with granules after the storm.
There is a new stain on a ceiling or damp insulation in the attic.
Your roof is older and was already showing wear before the storm.
Get a clear answer on your roof
GemSco is a family owned, fully licensed and insured roofing company and an elite contractor for Owens Corning and GAF, with more than 20 years of experience on Texas roofs. We inspect, document and handle hail damage roof repair across Houston, DFW, Austin and San Antonio. If you think hail hit your roof, request a free estimate through our roof inspection page or call (844) 980-5506.
Frequently Asked Questions
What size hail damages asphalt shingles?
Hail around 1 inch can start to damage asphalt shingles, especially older ones. Golf ball size hail, 1.75 inches, often cracks or bruises them. Wind, the age of the roof and the shingle type all change the result, so the size alone does not settle it. An inspection of the actual roof does.
Can a roof have hail damage that I cannot see?
Yes. A hailstone can bruise the mat under the surface without breaking the granules on top. The shingle looks fine for a while, then loses granules or cracks later. That is why an inspection after a significant storm checks shingles by touch, not only by sight.
Are impact resistant shingles immune to hail?
No. Shingles rated UL 2218 Class 4 passed the highest impact test level, so they resist hail better than standard shingles. Very large hail can still damage them. They are a good option to discuss when you replace a roof, not a guarantee against all hail.
Will my insurance cover hail damage on my shingles?
It depends on your policy and on your insurer's decision. Policies differ on deductibles, coverage for older roofs and whether cosmetic damage is included. GemSco can inspect the roof, photograph the damage and give you a written estimate, which you can use when you talk to your insurance company.
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