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How adjusters actually verify hail claims

Carrier verification typically runs: a weather-data pull for the loss date and address (from vendors built on the same NOAA records this site uses, often with proprietary radar interpolation layered on); an inspection under a protocol — slope-by-slope test squares, typically 10×10 feet, counting impact bruises; collateral indicators (soft-metal dents, window screens, AC fins); and a causation call distinguishing hail bruising from blistering, foot traffic and mechanical wear.

Independent verification matters at the first step: when the carrier's pull says "no event" or picks a different date, an independently assembled list of the official rows — IDs, distances, narratives — is the checkable counterpoint. Inspections can be re-run; the record is the record.

What is a test square?

A marked 10×10-foot area per roof slope where the inspector counts hail impacts; eight-plus bruises in a square is a common (not universal) repair-trigger heuristic for asphalt shingles. It quantifies the inspection so two inspectors can disagree about a number instead of an impression.

Why did the carrier's weather report differ from the public record?

Vendor products add radar-estimated swaths and interpolation between point reports — useful, but modeled. The underlying official rows are public. When reports disagree, reconciling against NCEI Storm Events (and saying which file vintage) is the neutral move.

Can a policyholder see the carrier's weather report?

Often, on request or in appraisal/litigation. Asking for it — and comparing it row-by-row against the official record — is standard public-adjuster practice and frequently dissolves the disagreement.

Sources and standing caveat

Official records referenced throughout: NCEI Storm Events Database (the official NWS storm record, 1950–present) and SPC daily storm reports (preliminary, same-day). NWS records are point and path observations. The absence of a nearby report does NOT prove that no hail fell at this address — it means no observation was logged nearby. A report of nearby hail documents the event; it does not by itself prove damage to a specific structure. Nothing on this page is legal, insurance, or public-adjusting advice — deadlines, coverage and remedies are policy- and state-specific.

Put the record in the file

A per-address verification report compiles every NWS-recorded hail and wind event within 1, 3 and 10 miles of any US address — distances, official narratives, citations, provenance labels — formatted as an insurance-appeal attachment, hosted on HailEvidence (the neutral evidence surface).

Unlimited reports — Pro $99/mo Single report $29