After a hailstorm rolls through the Chicago suburbs, most homeowners look at their car first. If the car has dents, they assume the roof must be damaged too. If the car looks fine, they assume the roof is okay.
Neither assumption is reliable. Your roof can sustain significant hail damage that's completely invisible from the ground — and your car can have dents while your roof escapes serious harm, or vice versa. The only way to know for certain is a proper inspection.
That said, there are signs you can look for yourself before calling a contractor. Here's exactly what to check.
Hail Size and What It Means for Your Roof
What to Check From the Ground
Before you get anywhere near your roof, do a ground-level inspection. You can gather a lot of information without climbing a ladder.
Check Your Gutters and Downspouts
Walk around your entire home and look at every gutter section. Hail leaves circular dents in aluminum gutters — look for dimpling along the top edge and sides. Also look inside gutters for granule buildup. Roof granules washing into gutters after a storm is a strong indicator of shingle damage above.
Check Your Window Screens and Sills
Window screens are extremely sensitive to hail impact. Small tears, punctures, or bent screen frames confirm that hail hit your property with enough force to cause damage. Painted windowsills and trim may show chipping or small circular impact marks.
Check Your Siding
Walk slowly around your home and look at every section of siding from multiple angles. On vinyl siding look for cracks, chips, or circular impact marks. On aluminum siding look for denting. On wood siding look for splintering or paint damage. Siding damage visible from the ground almost always means roof damage too.
Check Any Exposed Metal
HVAC units, vents, flashing, and metal caps on chimneys are excellent indicators. Metal dents visibly and clearly from hail impact. If you see circular dents on any metal surface on your property, your roof almost certainly sustained damage as well.
Check Your Deck or Patio
Wooden decks and patio furniture sometimes show splatter marks or impact damage from large hail. While not definitive, this is another data point that confirms the storm was severe enough to cause roof damage.
What Hail Damage Looks Like on Asphalt Shingles
Asphalt shingles are the most common roofing material in the Chicago suburbs. Here's exactly what hail damage looks like when you're up close:
- Granule loss — The most common sign. Hail knocks granules off the surface of shingles, leaving dark exposed spots that look like bruises. Fresh granule loss appears as circular areas where the underlying asphalt is exposed.
- Soft spots or bruising — Press gently on a shingle (only from a ladder, never walk on asphalt shingles). A hail impact creates a soft spot in the shingle mat beneath the surface — similar to a bruise on fruit.
- Cracked shingles — Large hail can crack shingles outright. Look for lines or fractures radiating from the center of an impact point.
- Missing shingles — While wind more commonly causes missing shingles, severe hail can also tear shingles loose.
- Dented or damaged flashing — Metal flashing around chimneys, vents, and valleys shows hail damage clearly as small circular dents.
Never walk on your roof to inspect it yourself. Asphalt shingles are slippery especially after rain, and walking on damaged shingles can worsen the damage and void your warranty. A professional inspector has the right footwear, safety equipment, and training to inspect safely without causing additional damage.
The Difference Between Hail Damage and Normal Wear
Insurance adjusters are trained to classify damage as wear and tear rather than storm damage whenever possible. Knowing the difference helps you make your case.
Signs of Hail Damage:
- Circular impact marks with a consistent size pattern
- Granule loss concentrated in circular spots rather than spread evenly
- Fresh exposed asphalt that hasn't oxidized yet
- Damage concentrated on one side of the roof facing the storm direction
- Corresponding damage on gutters, siding, and other surfaces
Signs of Normal Wear:
- Granule loss spread evenly across the entire roof surface
- Cracking or curling along shingle edges
- Blistering from heat and UV exposure
- Moss or algae growth
- Missing tab corners from wind over many years
Document Everything Before Calling Insurance
If you find evidence of hail damage, document it thoroughly before calling your insurance company. Here's what to do:
- Photograph your gutters showing granule buildup and any denting
- Photograph any damaged siding, screens, or metal surfaces at close range
- Check your local weather service records for the date and size of recent hail in your area — weather.gov maintains hail storm records
- Note the date you discovered the damage
- Do not make any permanent repairs until after the adjuster has inspected
When to Call a Professional
Call a licensed roofing contractor for a professional inspection if:
- You see granule buildup in your gutters after a storm
- You see dents on gutters, siding, or any metal surfaces
- Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported in your area
- Your neighbors are having their roofs inspected or replaced
- You notice any interior water stains after a storm
- Your roof is more than 10 years old and experienced any significant hail
Integrity Pro Roofing provides free professional roof inspections throughout the Chicago suburbs. We inspect Naperville, Schaumburg, Bolingbrook, Joliet, Aurora, Arlington Heights, and 85+ more communities. If we inspect your roof and don't find damage worth claiming, we'll tell you that honestly.