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Storm hit? Free roof photo check
Chicago Storm Pros
by C&N Construction

What Does Hail Damage Look Like on a Roof?

Hail damage on a roof looks like round bruises in the shingles, bare spots where the granules were knocked off, and dents in soft metal such as gutters, vents and flashing. The marks are scattered at random, not in straight lines, and they are worst on the side that faced the storm. The fastest way to check your own roof is the free photo check below.

Have a photo of your roof after a storm? Upload it and we'll circle what it seems to show, or tap what you can see yourself. Either way you get a plain-English read: hail, wind or ordinary wear, and whether a closer look is worth your time.

Licensed & Insured IL Lic. 104.017643
Based in Hillside, IL
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Start with your photo (optional)

This AI only looks for storm and roof damage, and it isn't perfect. Think of it as a good starting point for a conversation.

Uploading is optional, and the checklist below works without it. If you do upload, your browser shrinks the photo and re-saves it first, which removes the location data. Our server removes it again before the photo goes to our AI provider, Z.ai, to find the signs to circle. We don't store the photo unless you send it to C&N Construction with an inspection request at the end. Read the details.

Tap what you can clearly see

If you uploaded a photo, the cards we spotted are already ticked. Fix any that look wrong. Tap only what is clearly there. If you can't point to a sign in the photo, leave it alone. Each card says what the sign looks like.

Hail signs
Wind signs
Wear, not storm
Winter signs
Can't see the roof
Nothing clear

What each sign means

This is the same guide the check uses, written the way a roofer would explain it standing in your driveway. For photo examples of each sign, see our visual guide to what hail damage looks like on a roof.

Hail signs

  • Dents in soft metal. Dents in gutters, downspouts, vents or flashing are the clearest hail sign, because soft metal keeps a record of every hit and age doesn't dent it.
  • Round bruises, no pattern. Round dark spots where granules were knocked off, scattered with no pattern, are what hail leaves on asphalt shingles. A real bruise feels soft when pressed, and only someone on the roof can confirm that.
  • Fresh splits in wood shake. Wood shake splits with sharp, light-colored edges are fresh. Old splits weather to gray, so light edges point to a recent impact such as hail.
  • Hits on siding or screens. Chips or dents on siding, window screens or trim on the storm side show that hail reached that side of the house with some force, and the roof above it was in the same weather.

Wind signs

  • Missing shingles. Missing shingles are a wind sign, especially along edges, ridges and corners where wind gets under the roof first. Poor nailing or age can also let one go, so the nails left behind help tell the story.
  • Creased tabs. A straight crease across a tab, below the seal line, is the mark of a tab that wind folded back. That is a wind sign.
  • Lifted tabs. Tabs that have come up off their sealant strip point to wind, though shingles that have aged can lift too as the sealant dries out.
  • Exposed underlayment. Visible underlayment means the shingles over that spot are gone, and wind is the usual reason. The roof is open to the next rain until it is repaired.
  • Tree or debris impact. A limb or debris strike is impact from the storm itself. The area under and around it needs a closer look, since damage often reaches past the spot you can see.

Wear, not storm

  • Popped blisters. Small craters with clean edges, clustered on the sunny slopes, are blisters that popped. That comes from heat and the shingle itself, not hail, which lands at random and bruises rather than craters.
  • Thin granules everywhere. Granules worn thin everywhere, rather than knocked off in spots, is aging. Hail takes granules off in round spots.
  • Curling or cupping. Curling or cupping edges come from age and moisture in the shingle, not from a storm hit.
  • Straight thermal cracks. Straight cracks that run across the shingle are thermal cracking from years of temperature swings. That is a wear pattern.
  • Algae or moss. Algae streaks and moss are growth on the roof, a moisture and age issue and not a storm sign.
  • Nail pops. Nail pops are fasteners backing out as the decking moves with the seasons. That is age and movement, not hail.
  • Scuffs or tool marks. Scuffs and tool marks come from foot traffic, ladders and earlier work. They look different from the random pattern hail leaves.

Winter signs

  • Ice dam at the eave. A thick ridge of ice along the roof edge is an ice dam. It holds melting water back, and that water can get under the shingles. It comes from heat escaping into the attic and refreezing at the cold eave, so it is not a storm sign.
  • Heavy icicles. Long icicles mean water is melting higher up the roof and refreezing at the edge. On their own they are not damage, but they often show up beside an ice dam, and their weight can load a gutter.
  • Water stain on a ceiling or wall. A brown ring or wet patch on a ceiling or upper wall means water got in. The photo cannot say where it came from, but the cause is on the roof or at the eave.
  • Gutter pulled away by ice. A gutter that sags or pulls away from the fascia has often been loaded with ice. That is winter damage and not a storm sign, and it can let water run behind the gutter onto the fascia and wall.

Can't see the roof

  • Snow or ice on the roof. Snow and ice hide the shingles, so bruises, creases and even missing shingles can't be seen under them. That says nothing about whether the roof is damaged.

Two cautions apply to every sign. A photo can't show the decking underneath, hidden moisture or the roof's real age, and a ground-level photo can't show bruising at all. Only someone on the roof, with a hand on the shingle, can confirm those.

Want to check recent storms near you? Your city only.

If you're comfortable putting your city in here, we'll show recent hail, wind and tornado events that reached your area, and the National Weather Service record for your town since 2010. We never ask for a street address in this step, and the city stays in your browser.

Prefer to look it up yourself? The hail history by town page and the storm map show the same records.

Want us to get an inspector over, as soon as tomorrow in most cases?

A free inspection puts someone on the roof with a hand on the shingle, counting hits in a test square and photographing what is there. You keep the report whether or not you hire us. You decide what to do with it, including whether and how to file.

Prefer to talk it through first? Read how the free storm damage roof inspection works, or see how roof insurance claims work in Illinois before you decide anything.

This AI only looks for storm and roof damage, and it isn't perfect. Think of it as a good starting point for a conversation, not an inspection. We're roofing contractors, not public adjusters, so whether and how to file is your call.

Chicago Storm Pros is a service of C&N Construction, Inc. (cnroofs.com). Reviews, project counts, certifications, and ratings shown here reflect C&N Construction's work.

Common Questions

Roof Photo Check FAQs

What does hail damage look like on a roof?
Round bruises in the shingles, about the size of the hailstones, where the mat underneath feels soft or cracked. Bare black spots where granules were knocked off. Dents in soft metal such as gutters, downspouts, vents and flashing. The marks are scattered at random and are worst on the side that faced the storm.
How do I tell if my roof has hail damage?
Start from the ground. Look at gutters, downspouts, vents and flashing for round dents, because soft metal shows every hit. Check for granules collected in the gutters or at the downspout ends. Then look at the roof itself from a safe spot or in a photo for bare spots and round marks. Don't climb a wet or steep roof. A photo or a ground check can point toward hail, and an inspection settles it.
What is hail damage on a roof, and is it serious?
Hail damage is any hit that bruises the shingle, cracks the mat or strips off granules. Some of it is cosmetic and some of it shortens the life of the roof, and you can't always tell which from the ground. An inspection sorts functional damage from cosmetic marks. Your policy and your carrier decide what is covered.
Can you tell hail damage from a photo?
In part. Dents in gutters, vents and flashing show up well in a photo and are the clearest hail sign. Bruising on shingles usually doesn't, because it takes a hand on the shingle to tell a real bruise from a stain. A photo can point toward hail, and an inspection is what settles it.
What does hail damage look like on gutters?
Round dents, often a half inch to an inch or more across, on the side of the house that faced the storm. Gutters and downspouts are soft metal, so every hit leaves a mark and age doesn't make them. Look at the faces and the top edges in side light, early or late in the day, and the dents stand out.
How do I tell hail damage from ordinary wear?
Hail lands at random and leaves round, scattered bruises. Wear shows up in patterns: small craters clustered on the sunny slopes, granules thin everywhere instead of in spots, straight cracks, curling edges. When a roof has both, an inspector separates what the storm did from what age did.
What does wind damage look like on shingles?
Missing shingles, tabs creased straight across below the seal line, tabs lifted off their sealant strip, and bare underlayment showing. Wind starts at the edges, the ridge and the corners, so look there first.
What happens to the photo I upload?
Uploading is your choice. Before the photo leaves your device, your browser shrinks it and re-saves it, which removes the location data and other hidden details. Our server removes them again, then sends the photo to our AI provider, Z.ai (the GLM-5.3-Flash model), to find the signs to circle. We don't store the photo. If you ask for an inspection at the end and check the box to share it, the photo goes to C&N Construction with your request. We never use it for marketing without separate written permission. If you'd rather not upload, skip it and tap the checklist yourself.
Does this tell me whether insurance will pay for the repair?
No, and it isn't meant to. This check answers the physical question only: is what's visible consistent with hail, wind or ordinary wear, and is an inspection worth it. We're roofing contractors, not public adjusters, and Illinois reserves claim advice to licensed public adjusters. Your policy sets its own deadline to report a loss, so check your declarations page.
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