Wind Damage vs. Hail Damage: How to Tell the Difference

After a big Kansas storm, your roof might have wind damage, hail damage, or both. Knowing the difference matters because your insurance company treats them differently, the repairs are different, and sometimes one is covered while the other isn't. We see both types constantly, so here's how to tell them apart.

What hail damage looks like

Hail damage follows a random pattern. The impacts hit wherever the stones fell, so you'll see damage scattered across the whole roof without any particular logic to it. On asphalt shingles, hail knocks off the protective granules and leaves dark, circular marks. Sometimes the shingle is dented or cracked. If the hail was big enough, you might see it puncture through the shingle entirely.

The giveaway for hail is consistency - the damage shows up across the entire roof face that was exposed to the storm, and it shows up on other surfaces too. Check your gutters for dents, your AC unit, any metal vents on the roof. If everything that faces the sky got hit, that's hail.

What wind damage looks like

Wind damage has a pattern to it, and it's almost always concentrated along edges and ridges. That's because wind creates lift - it catches the underside of shingles and peels them back. You'll see shingles folded over, torn off, or creased along a line. The damage usually follows the prevailing wind direction, hitting one side of the roof harder than the other.

Ridgeline shingles are especially vulnerable because wind hits the peak of the roof and rolls over the top, creating suction. We see blown-off ridge caps after almost every windstorm, even moderate ones. The edges of the roof - along the rakes and eaves - are the other hot spots.

Why it matters for insurance

Here's where it gets practical. Some insurance policies have different deductibles for wind and hail. Your policy might have a standard $1,000 deductible for wind damage but a 2% deductible for hail - which on a $300,000 home means $6,000 out of pocket. That's a big difference. Knowing what type of damage you have helps you understand what you're looking at financially before you file.

There's another wrinkle too. If your roof has both wind and hail damage from the same storm, the insurance company might try to attribute everything to whichever type has the higher deductible. Having a detailed inspection report from an experienced roofer - one that clearly separates the wind damage from the hail damage - helps keep the claim accurate.

Get it documented properly

Whether it's wind, hail, or both, the key is getting a thorough inspection done before the adjuster shows up. We know exactly what to look for and how to document it in a way that insurance companies understand. That report protects you throughout the entire claims process. Call us at (913) 954-4501 after any storm and we'll get up there and tell you exactly what's going on.