Wind vs. Hail Damage on a Roof: How to Tell Them Apart

By StormAuditor Editorial Team · Published 2026-09-28 · Updated 2026-09-28

Based on public NOAA and National Weather Service records, published under StormAuditor's methodology and data-source standards. Radar-derived hail sizes are estimates unless attributed to a ground report.

Damage-threshold ranges in this article are general guidance synthesized from industry and federal research — IBHS building-performance research, NWS severe criteria, and product standards such as UL 2218 (hail impact resistance) and ASTM D3161/D7158 (shingle wind ratings). Actual performance depends on product rating, age, installation quality, exposure, and impact characteristics — thresholds describe when damage becomes possible, not when it occurs.

Hail leaves random impact marks across slopes; wind lifts, creases, and peels from the edges in one direction. Here is how to read both on a roof, rule out look-alikes, and check which hazard the weather record shows on each date.

Two houses on one street, same shingle, same afternoon storm: one roof has a scatter of dark, roughly round marks across every slope, and the other has a row of creased tabs along the west rake with a few shingles lying in the side yard. Telling wind vs hail damage on a roof apart starts with exactly that kind of pattern reading, because the two hazards leave different signatures and show up in different parts of the weather record.

Below: what each hazard looks like, the look-alikes that fool people, why one storm date often carries both, and how the public weather record helps separate them. It is a field reference, not an engineering standard; a qualified inspector makes the call on any specific roof.

What hail leaves behind

Hail strikes from above, at random: no tidy rows, no preference for edges or ridges. That randomness is the most useful signature.

On asphalt shingles

• Granule loss at the point of impact. A hit knocks granules loose in a small, roughly circular area, exposing dark asphalt or mat.
• Bruising. Press gently on a suspect mark. A soft, spongy feel compared with the surrounding shingle suggests the mat underneath has been fractured, even when the surface looks mostly intact.
• Fractured mat. Harder hits can crack the mat itself. Cracks sometimes show from the underside or at the exposed edge of the tab.

As a rule of thumb, asphalt shingles typically begin showing functional hail damage around 1.00 to 1.25 inch impacts. Softer or older shingles can bruise at smaller sizes, and impact-rated products (UL 2218 Class 4 is the highest tier) are built to resist more. Roof age, condition, product rating, and installation all move that range.

On soft metals and collateral surfaces

Gutters, downspouts, ridge vent caps, flashing, air conditioner fins, screens, and painted trim all record hail. Dents, spatter marks on oxidized or painted surfaces, and torn screens are useful cross-checks on size and direction. Metal roofs typically dent cosmetically at around 1.00 inch and larger but rarely fail functionally until roughly 1.75 inches, again depending on gauge, panel type, and condition.

Where on the roof

Hail usually marks multiple slopes, often heavier on the slopes facing the direction the storm came from, because wind drives the stones at an angle. Leeward slopes can show noticeably fewer hits.

What wind leaves behind

Wind works by lifting and peeling rather than striking. Uplift pressure is highest at the roof perimeter, so wind damage concentrates at eaves, rakes, corners, and ridges, then works inward if the gusts are strong enough.

• Creased tabs. When a tab is lifted and folds back, it leaves a horizontal crease across the shingle, usually near the nail line.
• Broken seal strips. The adhesive bond between courses lets go. The tab lifts freely by hand, and dirt or debris may be stuck to the old sealant.
• Missing tabs or whole shingles. Torn material at the nails, exposed nail heads, bare underlayment.
• Directional alignment. Lifted shingles bend the same way, debris lands downwind, and damage lines up with the wind direction across the roof and the neighborhood.
• Ridge and edge concentration. Hip and ridge caps, starter courses, and rake edges are often the first to go.

Industry rules of thumb say tab creasing and lifting on asphalt shingles typically starts somewhere between 55 and 70 mph gusts. Widespread blow-off becomes common above roughly 75 to 85 mph for older 3-tab shingles and above 90 to 100 mph for newer architectural shingles. Wind-rated products (ASTM D3161 and D7158 classes) resist more, while poor sealing or aging lowers the bar.

Look-alikes that get mistaken for storm damage

• Blistering. Gas trapped in the asphalt raises small bubbles that later pop, leaving pits with clean edges. Blisters tend to cluster on sun-exposed slopes and show no matching dents in gutters or vents.
• Mechanical damage. Dropped tools, ladder feet, and installation cuts leave marks with straight edges or crescent shapes, often in a spot a person could reach.
• Foot traffic. Scuffing and granule loss follow walking paths, gather near access points, and ring vents, chimneys, and satellite mounts.
• Age and weathering. Uniform granule loss across a whole slope, curling, cupping, and thermal cracking point to wear rather than a single event.
• Manufacturing or installation defects. High nailing, shingles that never sealed, or incorrect exposure can let tabs lift in moderate wind and look like wind damage at first glance.

The tell is pattern. Storm damage follows the physics of the hazard; look-alikes follow sun exposure, foot paths, installation habits, or the calendar.

Why many storms bring both

Thunderstorms that grow hail also produce strong downdrafts, and that outflow can reach the ground as damaging straight-line wind. The hail core and the strongest gusts do not always hit the same block, and wind-driven hail can batter one face of a house while leaving the opposite face nearly clean.

So one roof can show random bruising on the south slope and creased tabs along the rake. Separate storms add another layer: a roof may carry hail marks from one season and wind damage from another, so the date matters as much as the hazard.

Reading the weather record for an address

The public record cannot look at a shingle, but it can show which hazard was present near a property and when.

1. Estimated hail size and estimated peak gust by date. Radar-derived hail estimates (NOAA MRMS MESH) and gridded wind analyses give a value at or near the address for each storm day. A date with a large hail estimate and a modest gust points one way. The reverse points the other.

2. Warning type. Severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings cover an area and a time window, and the warning text describes the hazards forecasters expected. For context, the NWS defines a severe thunderstorm as one producing hail of 1.00 inch or larger or gusts of 58 mph or higher.

3. Storm reports. Spotter and public reports logged by the NWS and the Storm Prediction Center note hail sizes, measured or estimated gusts, and wind damage such as downed trees. A cluster of hail reports near the address tells a different story than a line of tree-damage reports.

When the roof and the record disagree, treat it as a cue to look further. Random bruising on a roof whose record shows only wind on the reported date may belong to a different date, or to a look-alike.

Using StormAuditor to separate the hazards

StormAuditor builds its reports from those same public NOAA and NWS records.

• The Weather Report lists every qualifying storm date at an address with both the estimated peak wind gust and the estimated maximum hail size, plus the nearest measured evidence with distances and the NWS warnings. Side by side, the two values quickly separate a hail day from a wind day.
• The Free Report Snapshot gives an instant yes or no on whether estimated wind reached the 45 mph screening level or hail reached the 0.75 inch screening level in the window checked.
• The Storm Map Dashboard shows ground storm reports, NWS warning county shading, and each station's measured daily peak gust, day by day, so you can see whether a date's reports were hail, wind, or both.

The estimates come from two published methods: SAWE-2 for wind (wind methodology) and SAHE-2 for hail (hail methodology). StormAuditor shows what weather the record indicates, not what damaged a roof.

Limitations

• Every value is an estimate from public records, not an on-site measurement and not a damage determination.
• Radar hail estimates can under-estimate wet hail and over-estimate in very high reflectivity cores.
• Stations are spaced far apart and under-sample microbursts, so the peak gust between stations can exceed reported values.
• A property inside a warning polygon was under a warning but did not necessarily experience the peak conditions.
• Only a qualified inspector or engineer can assess cause. Insurance policies differ, and the policy and insurer control coverage questions. The full list of caveats is on the limitations page.

FAQ

How can I tell if roof damage is from wind or hail?

Look at the pattern first. Hail leaves random impact marks, bruises, and granule loss across the field of the shingle, usually with dented soft metals nearby. Wind leaves creased, lifted, or missing tabs concentrated at edges, corners, and ridges, aligned with the wind direction.

Can hail and wind damage happen in the same storm?

Yes. Hail-producing thunderstorms often bring strong outflow winds too, sometimes hitting different parts of a neighborhood minutes apart. A roof can show signs of both from one date.

What size hail damages asphalt shingles?

As a typical range, asphalt shingles begin showing functional damage around 1.00 to 1.25 inch hail. Older or softer shingles can bruise at smaller sizes, and impact-rated shingles resist more. Age, condition, rating, and installation all shift the range.

Can a roofer tell old damage from new storm damage?

Often, by how weathered a mark looks. Fresh hits and torn tabs tend to show sharp edges and clean exposed material; older damage darkens and softens. Matching damage to a storm date in the weather record helps narrow it down.

Does a weather report show what damaged my roof?

No. A weather report shows the estimated wind and hail at an address on each date, drawn from public records. Determining the cause of specific damage is a job for a qualified inspector or engineer.