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Roof inspection after hail: what professionals document

The storm record says a damaging-class storm passed; the inspection says what it did. Professional protocol works outside-in: ground-level collateral first (downspouts, AC fins, window screens, mailboxes, soft metals — fresh strikes here corroborate recency), then eaves and flashing, then slope-by-slope test squares photographing each bruise with chalk and a tape for scale, oriented so storm-facing slopes are identified.

Photo discipline carries the file: timestamped, GPS-tagged where possible, wide-medium-close sequences per finding, and one set of overview shots per slope even where nothing was found — the empty slopes are part of an honest record and defeat "you only photographed the worst square" pushback.

What distinguishes hail bruising from blistering on shingles?

Hail bruises are random in distribution, often with granule displacement and a soft spot from fractured mat; blisters follow manufacturing/heat patterns and pop outward. Random-pattern hits concentrated on the storm-facing slope, corroborated by collateral dents, is the classic hail signature.

How many photos does a claim file need?

Adjuster-grade files commonly run 50–150: every elevation, every slope overview, every test square, every collateral indicator, plus context shots of the property. Cheap to take, impossible to retake after a reroof.

Should the inspection happen before or after pulling the storm record?

Pull the record first when dating is uncertain — it tells the inspector which slopes faced the storm and which candidate dates to evaluate for damage age. The two documents are written to corroborate each other.

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).

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