StormProof → guides → Wind vs hail damage: telling them apart, and why the record matters
Wind vs hail damage: telling them apart, and why the record matters
Hail bruises: randomized impact marks concentrated on storm-facing slopes, granule displacement, fractured mats, collateral dents on soft metals. Wind tears: creased, lifted or missing shingles along edges, ridges and field patterns following uplift zones, with debris transport as corroboration. Mixed storms produce both, and carriers sometimes price the perils differently (separate wind/hail deductibles), so the attribution has dollar consequences.
The record constrains the argument before forensics start: the dated rows say whether the storm that passed produced recorded severe wind, recorded ≥1-inch hail, both or neither — and the narratives often describe which damage dominated the area. Inspection signatures then complete the attribution within that frame.
Can wind alone dent gutters and soft metals?
Wind-driven debris can, but distributed small-radius dents on horizontal soft metals are the classic hail collateral signature. The recorded event mix for the date — hail size, wind gusts — tells you which explanation has documentary support.
Why does the wind/hail distinction change claim value?
Many policies in hail country carry a separate (often percentage-based) wind/hail deductible, and some carve the perils apart entirely. Attribution can shift the deductible math even when coverage exists either way — another reason the dated record belongs in the file.
What does a mixed hail-and-wind event mean for scope?
Both signature sets should be inspected for and documented separately: slope bruising counts and uplift/crease mapping. The recorded gust and size give each scope line its documentary anchor.
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
Related: How to document the date of loss for a hail claim · Fighting a denied hail claim with NWS records · SPC storm reports vs. NCEI Storm Events: which to cite, when · What counts as "severe" hail — and why 1 inch is the line