Once a storm passes, it is natural to want to know whether your roof made it through. You can learn a great deal without ever climbing up. This step-by-step guide on how to check your roof for storm damage walks you through a safe route around and inside your home, the order to do it in, and what to write down as you go. It is designed for homeowners in North and Central Mississippi, where hail and straight-line winds are the usual culprits, and it ends with clear guidance on when it is time to call a professional.
Before You Start: Safety and Supplies
Stay off the roof. Wet or damaged shingles are slippery, storm-weakened decking can give way, and ladders on soft ground are unstable. Watch for downed power lines and treat any wire as live. Wait until lightning has passed.
Bring a few simple tools: your phone for photos and notes, a pair of binoculars, a flashlight for the attic, and a notepad to jot the storm date and anything you find. Wear sturdy shoes; yards often have nails, glass or sharp debris after high winds.
Step 1: Walk the Perimeter
Start at the front door and circle the house slowly, looking up at each slope from several angles. Note:
- Missing shingles or exposed patches of underlayment.
- Shingles lying in the yard, flower beds or on lower roofs.
- Lifted edges or shingles that look out of line with their neighbors.
- Ridge caps that are cracked, missing or shifted.
- Bent or dislodged vent caps, chimney caps and satellite dishes.
- Large limbs on the roof or leaning against it.
Use the binoculars to look closely at areas where wind would hit hardest, such as corners, ridges and the edges of the roof.
Step 2: Read the Clues Around the Roof
Hail damage and wind damage leave evidence on softer materials that is easier to see from the ground than marks on shingles.
- Gutters and downspouts. Look for dents, especially small round dings along the top edge.
- Granules. Heavy deposits at downspout outlets after a storm can indicate hail knocked granules loose.
- Window screens and wraps. Tears and dents point to hail size and direction.
- Siding, fences, mailboxes and outdoor furniture. Spatter marks and dents on painted surfaces help confirm hail.
- Vehicles. Dented cars parked outside during the storm are a strong sign the roof was hit too.
Photograph these with something for scale, like a coin, and note which side of the house took the worst of it.
Step 3: Check the Attic and Ceilings
Inside, go to the attic if you can do so safely, stepping only on framing. With the flashlight, look at the underside of the decking for:
- Fresh wet spots, drips or dark stains.
- Daylight showing through where it should not.
- Damp or matted insulation.
- Water trails along rafters.
Then walk through the top floor of the house and look at ceilings and upper walls, especially near exterior walls, chimneys and closets. New stains or bubbling paint are worth photographing. Our article on early signs of ceiling water damage has more detail on what to look for.
Step 4: Organize What You Found
Before calling anyone, put your notes together: the storm date, photos labeled by side of the house, and a short list of what you saw. This makes a roofer's inspection more efficient and gives you a storm damage record if you end up filing an insurance claim. Do not throw away fallen shingles or debris yet.
Remember that many kinds of hail damage are invisible from the ground. Bruised shingles, cracked mats and loosened seal strips usually require someone on the roof to identify. A clean walkaround does not mean the roof is undamaged; it just means nothing obvious showed up.
When to Call a Professional
Call a roofer promptly if you found any of the following: missing shingles, interior leaks, dented gutters or vents, granule piles, a tree on the roof, or damage to neighbors' roofs from the same storm. It is also wise to call if hail larger than about the size of a quarter fell in your area, even if you saw nothing obvious.
A licensed contractor can safely walk the roof, test-square sections for hail hits, check flashing and seal strips, and give you a written report. We provide free inspections through our storm damage roof repair service. If damage is confirmed, our guide to filing a storm damage claim covers the next steps with your insurer.
Common Questions
Is it safe to get on my roof to look for damage?
We do not recommend it. Storm-damaged roofs can be slick and unstable, and falls cause serious injuries every year. A ground and attic check, followed by a professional inspection, is the safer approach.
What does hail damage look like on shingles?
Often it looks like dark spots where granules were knocked off, sometimes with a soft, bruised feel underneath. It can be hard to see from the ground, which is why dents on gutters and vents are useful clues.
My neighbors are getting new roofs. Does that mean mine is damaged?
Not necessarily, but it is a good reason to have yours inspected. Hail can fall unevenly across a neighborhood, and roofs of different ages and materials respond differently to the same storm.
Should I file an insurance claim before or after an inspection?
In most cases, after. An inspection tells you whether there is real storm damage worth claiming, which helps you avoid filing for problems that turn out to be minor or unrelated to the storm.
How soon after a storm should I check my roof?
As soon as it is safe, ideally within a day or two. Early documentation helps tie damage to a specific storm, and finding a leak early limits interior damage.