Can 1 inch hail cause damage to a roof?

Yes! In fact, even hail smaller than 1 inch can cause damage to a roof or to other areas of your house.

¾” Hail

Though the smallest hail we measure, ¾” hail can still be damaging depending on accompanying wind speeds. Hail this size typically damages vinyl siding, window screens, metal fascia and paint on a deck. We also see it dislodge granules from asphalt shingles and damage gutters and downspouts. Because of its smaller size, property owners often fail to identify the damages associated with hail under one inch.

1” Hail

Once we hit the 1” mark, we start to see bruising to shingle underlayment and significant damage to siding, gutters and fascia. Wind speeds will determine the severity of damage, and you will also see roof damage similar to damage caused by smaller sizes of hail.

1¼” Hail

With only a ¼” increase, the severity of this size of hail is much more significant. Parts of your property exposed to hail have the potential to look like swiss cheese. Even without wind, we’ll see this hail cause damage by simply falling out of the sky.

1½” Hail

This size of hail causes significant damage to property. Depending on the amount of hail, the length of time it falls and the accompanying wind speeds, damage to your property could be severe.

1¾ – 2” Hail

Now we’re getting to the size where the hail can penetrate softer parts of a roof, such as ridge caps or plastic roof vents. Combined with wind, this size of hail can tear siding completely off of a house, crack windows and damage most types of metal fixtures.

2” Hail

Anything this size or above will cause significant and severe damage to your property. We are no longer asking “if” you have property damage, but “where” you have property damage. It’s suggested that you call a roofing contractor with insurance experience immediately after this type of storm event.