Hail damage vs. normal wear: how to tell the difference

A homeowner in Madison called us last spring after a hailstorm. "My roof looks fine from the ground," she said, "but my neighbor said I should still get it checked." She was right to call. When we got up on the roof, we found over 200 impact craters across the south-facing slope — none of them visible from her driveway. Her insurance covered the full replacement.

The hard truth about hail damage on Alabama roofs: it almost never looks the way you'd expect. Here's how to tell hail damage apart from normal wear, and what each means for your insurance claim.

What hail damage actually looks like

Real hail damage on asphalt shingles has specific signatures. A roofer or adjuster trained to recognize them will find them quickly. Here's what they're looking for:

• Circular impact craters in the shingle surface. These are roughly dime- to quarter-sized depressions where the asphalt mat has been bruised. They expose the fiberglass mat underneath, which causes accelerated granule loss over the next 6–24 months.
• Granule displacement. Hail knocks granules off the impact site. You'll see fresh-looking patches with visible asphalt or fiberglass underneath.
• Soft spots. When you press a finger on a hail bruise, it feels softer than the surrounding shingle — like a bruise on fruit.
• Damage to soft metals. Aluminum vents, gutters, gutter screens, and metal flashing are excellent indicators. If the metal is dented, the shingles took hits too.
• Random distribution pattern. Hail comes from one direction during a single storm event. Real damage clusters on the side of the roof that faced the wind.

The single best ground-level indicator is the soft metals. If your gutters or metal vents have round dents, your shingles likely have impact craters too — even if they look fine from below.

What normal wear looks like (and why insurance won't cover it)

Normal weathering on a 12- to 25-year-old roof has totally different signatures:

• Granule loss in patterns. Normal granule loss happens uniformly across exposed surfaces, not in random craters. You'll see thinning along the bottom edges of shingles where rainwater runs off.
• Curling at the edges. UV degradation over years causes shingles to curl up at the corners — a sure sign the asphalt has dried out.
• Brittleness. Old shingles crack when bent. Hail-impacted shingles bruise but don't crack as easily.
• Algae streaking. Black streaks running down the roof are Gloeocapsa magma — an algae, not damage. Cosmetic only.
• Even, predictable pattern. Wear is symmetric and gradual. Damage is random and event-driven.

Insurance covers sudden damage from a covered peril (hail, wind, fire, falling object). It doesn't cover gradual wear, age, neglect, or maintenance issues. Knowing the difference protects you from filing a doomed claim.

The "marshmallow test" — soft vs. brittle

Here's a trick adjusters use: gently press an unhardened thumb on the suspect spot. A hail bruise feels slightly soft and gives a millimeter or two — like pressing a marshmallow. Normal wear feels rigid; old, dry shingles may even crack.

This is why we recommend you don't go on the roof yourself. The "feel" test takes practice, and walking on hail-damaged shingles can break them off entirely.

What to do if you're not sure

Two scenarios:

A storm came through recently — within the last week or two. Get a roofer up there fast. North Alabama hailstorms can drop hail damage that's invisible from the ground but very real from above. Most homeowners' policies require claim filing within a window (often one year), but the sooner you document, the cleaner the claim.

No storm in months — just wondering — call us anyway for a free inspection. We'll tell you whether the damage we find is recent (claimable) or old (not claimable). We'd rather lose 20 minutes finding nothing than have you miss a real claim window.

Common Alabama hail-damage questions

How big does hail need to be to damage my roof? Hail starting at about 1 inch in diameter (the size of a quarter) can damage asphalt shingles. Below that, damage is rare. Above 1.5 inches, damage is almost certain.

Does insurance always cover hail damage? Most Alabama homeowners policies cover hail damage, often with a separate wind/hail deductible (typically 1–2% of the home's insured value). Read your policy.

How long after a hailstorm can I file a claim? Most policies allow up to one year from the date of loss. Don't wait that long — additional weather between the original storm and your claim makes documentation harder.

Can hail damage be repaired or does it require replacement? If only a small section of the roof is damaged, repair is sometimes possible. But hail damage usually appears across an entire roof slope — and partial repairs to an aged roof rarely satisfy the insurance carrier or the homeowner. Most legitimate hail claims result in full replacement.

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If a storm came through your area recently and you're not sure whether your roof took damage, the free Yarco inspection is the fastest way to know for certain. Call (256) 227-6998 or schedule online.