Austin’s hail season runs from roughly March through June, with April and May the peak. But the roof damage it causes usually doesn’t show up until months later, and that gap is where homeowners lose money. Here’s what hail does to a roof, how to check for it and when to call someone.
Why Central Texas gets so much hail
Austin sits where warm, humid Gulf air meets dry air coming off the Hill Country and cold fronts pushing down from the north. In spring that collision produces the tall, rotating thunderstorms that generate hail. The I-35 corridor from San Antonio through Austin to Dallas is one of the most hail-prone regions in the United States, and Williamson, Travis and Hays counties are hit almost every year.
Storms can also occur outside the main season, particularly in early fall, so the habit worth building is simple: after any storm with hail, check the roof.
What hail actually does to shingles
Most people picture hail punching holes. That’s rare except with very large stones. What hail usually does is bruise. The impact fractures the fiberglass mat inside the shingle and knocks loose the ceramic granules that protect the asphalt from sunlight. The shingle looks mostly fine from the ground. Then the Texas sun goes to work on the exposed asphalt, the bruise opens into a crack, and six to eighteen months later there’s a leak.
Hail also cracks the rubber boots around plumbing vents, dents metal flashing and vents so they no longer seal, and damages ridge caps, which take direct hits because of their angle. Any of these can leak on its own.
The 10-minute check you can do from the ground
Don’t climb on the roof. Look at the things hail hits that you can see:
- Gutters and downspouts. Dents in aluminum gutters mean the shingles above them took the same hits.
- AC unit. Dented condenser fins are one of the most reliable signs of a damaging hail event.
- Mailbox, grill, patio furniture, car hoods. Soft metals record hail size.
- Window screens and siding. Torn screens and chipped paint on the windward side.
- Ground and gutters. Piles of black or gray granules at downspout outlets or in gutter troughs mean shingles lost their protective layer.
- Shingle edges from the ground. Look for shiny black spots, which are exposed asphalt where granules are gone.
If you find two or more of these, the roof very likely has damage and it’s worth getting someone up there.
Why waiting is the expensive choice
Texas homeowner policies generally cover hail damage, but they set a window for reporting it, often one to two years from the storm date and sometimes shorter. Damage discovered after that window closes is yours to pay for. Worse, a leak that develops months after the storm can be attributed to “wear” rather than to the hail event if there’s no documentation from the time of the storm.
A post-storm inspection with dated photos solves both problems. It either confirms the roof is fine, or it establishes the damage and the date so a claim goes smoothly whenever you file.
What a professional inspection adds
A roofer on the roof will mark a 10-by-10-foot test square on each slope and count hail hits, check every pipe boot and vent, look at ridge caps and soft metals, and go into the attic for water trails. Adjusters use the same test-square method, so a good inspection report speaks their language. Ours is free, and the report is yours whether or not you hire us.
Before the next storm
If your roof is over 15 years old, or you’re planning a replacement anyway, consider Class 4 impact-resistant shingles. They resist bruising far better than standard shingles, and many Texas insurers discount premiums for them. Metal roofs shrug off all but the largest hail entirely. Neither makes you immune, but both turn a likely claim into a probable non-event.
Hail came through and you’re not sure what it did? Here’s how we handle storm damage, and here’s where to book a free inspection.