Hail damage photos: roofs, vents, siding, cars

Triad hail claims usually involve asphalt shingles, aluminum gutters and heat pumps, with some slate and metal on older homes. These photos show what hail damage looks like, and what is wear instead.

Clear, reusable photos of hail on house shingles are scarce, so this page pairs public domain and Creative Commons photos from FEMA, NOAA, the National Weather Service, the U.S. Air Force and Space Force and independent photographers with illustrations we drew and labeled. No contractor or insurer marketing images are used.

Metal roofs and equipment on the roof

What to look for: dents along metal panel ribs and trim that show up in low sun, crushed coil fins on heat pumps and rooftop units, and dimpled vent caps. On Triad farmhouses and sheds, check the metal roof as well as the house.

A FEMA inspector bends to look along a ribbed metal roof for hail dents after a 2010 storm in Moore, Oklahoma — Looking along the ribs of a hail-dented metal roof in Moore, Oklahoma (May 2010). Low sun shows dents best. Photo: Win Henderson / FEMA, Public domain (U.S. government work). Credit

An inspector walks a hail-damaged metal roof on a municipal building in Moore, Oklahoma, May 2010 — An inspector on a hail-damaged metal roof (Moore, Oklahoma, 2010). Climbing is a job for professionals. Photo: Win Henderson / FEMA, Public domain (U.S. government work). Credit

Two men inspect hail damage to a rooftop air conditioning unit and vent stacks on a flat roof — Hail flattened coil fins on a rooftop AC unit inspected in Moore, Oklahoma, in 2010. Heat pumps beside Triad homes show the same damage. Photo: Win Henderson / FEMA, Public domain (U.S. government work). Credit

A white church with blue tarps covering its hail-damaged roof — Tarps cover a hail-damaged roof after the November 2014 hailstorm in Brisbane, Australia. Photo: Shiftchange, CC0 1.0 (public domain dedication). Credit

Shingles, explained with drawings

These labeled illustrations show a hail bruise in cross-section, how hail hits are spaced compared with wear, how inspectors use a test square, and where cosmetic damage ends and functional damage begins.

Illustration: cross-section of an asphalt shingle showing a hail hit that knocked off granules and fractured the mat underneath — Illustration: what a hail bruise is. The granules are knocked away and the fiberglass mat under the asphalt is fractured, so the spot feels soft and can let water in later. Illustration by HERE City.

Illustration: two roof slopes side by side, one with random round hail marks and one with even wear and streaks — Illustration: hail hits are random and round, with no pattern. Wear, blistering and algae follow the sun, water flow or the whole slope. Illustration by HERE City.

Illustration: a 10 by 10 foot test square marked in chalk on a roof slope with hail hits circled — Illustration: the 10-by-10-foot test square many adjusters and roofers use. Hits inside the square are circled and counted on each slope. Illustration by HERE City.

Illustration: side-by-side comparison of a cosmetic dent on a metal panel and a functional puncture letting water through — Illustration: cosmetic damage changes how a roof looks; functional damage affects how it keeps water out or how long it will last. Illustration by HERE City.

Glass, walls and siding

What to look for: damage on one side of the building only. Broken panes, torn screens, chipped paint and holed vinyl siding concentrated on the walls that faced the storm point to hail. Many Triad storms move in from the west, but check every side.

A second-floor motel window with a shattered pane after a hailstorm — Hail broke this window on the storm-facing side of a building in Limon, Colorado (July 2010). Photo: James St. John, CC BY 2.0. Credit

A white rendered wall covered in small dark pockmarks from hail impacts — Hail marks on an exterior wall in Einsiedeln, Switzerland (July 2010). Painted trim and siding can show the same spatter. Photo: Chris.urs-o, CC BY-SA 3.0. Credit

An apartment building facade covered with dark hail impact marks and cars with dented roofs below — Hail-pocked apartment facade in Požega, Croatia, after the June 25, 2021 storm; cars nearby were dented. Photo: Nikola, CC BY-SA 4.0. Credit

Side-by-side photos of a metal-sided building with hail-broken window panels, before and after repair — Hail-broken panels on a metal building at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, in July 2016 (left) and after repair (right). Photo: Robert Lingley / U.S. Space Force, Public domain (U.S. government work). Credit

Vehicles tell you how big it was

A dented car in the driveway is a useful record of hail size and direction. If the car is dented, look closely at the roof slopes and walls facing the same way.

A truck windshield with a large starburst crack from a baseball-size hailstone — A city truck windshield cracked by roughly 2.75-inch, baseball-size hail in Oklahoma in May 2010. Photo: Win Henderson / FEMA, Public domain (U.S. government work). Credit

A silver car with its rear window smashed and the roof dented by hail in Missouri — Hail-dented car in Missouri, April 2001. Dents on a car point to which walls and slopes to check. Photo: NWS St. Louis, Public domain (U.S. government work). Credit

Collage of hail damage to cars: broken side mirrors, a cracked headlight and a broken hubcap — Cars dented by the July 4, 2010 hailstorm in Limon, Colorado. Photo: James St. John, CC BY 2.0. Credit

Photograph the stones

Pick up the largest hailstones you can find right after the storm, put them next to a coin or ruler, and take a picture. A few in a freezer bag can back up your photos later.

Two hands holding golf-ball-size hailstones at night — Golf ball size hail, about 1.75 inches across. Photo: NOAA, Public domain (U.S. government work). Credit

A hailstone next to a ruler, labeled Ada, OK, 29 Apr 78 — A large hailstone measured against a ruler in Ada, Oklahoma, April 29, 1978. Measure across the widest point. Photo: NOAA, Public domain (U.S. government work). Credit

A hand holding two hailstones about the size of golf balls over hail-covered ground — Golf ball size hail in a hand for scale, Perth, Australia, March 2010. Photo: FCB Excalibur, CC BY-SA 2.0. Credit

A tape measure laid across a carpet of small hailstones — Small hail next to a tape measure. Under about an inch it rarely damages sound shingles, but note it anyway. Photo: Sebbog13, CC BY-SA 4.0. Credit

Large hailstones covering a street and grass at dusk — Hailstones on a street after a severe storm; the largest were about 2 to 3 inches. Photo: NOAA Photo Library / NSSL, Public domain (U.S. government work). Credit

A single very large, spiky hailstone held in a gloved hand — A very large, spiky hailstone. Irregular stones can strike harder than their size suggests. Photo: NOAA Photo Library, Public domain (U.S. government work). Credit

Archival photo of a 4-inch hailstone with a ruler — A 4-inch hailstone from Washington, D.C., in May 1953, from Snowden D. Flora's 1956 book on U.S. hailstorms. Photo: NOAA Photo Library, Public domain (U.S. government work). Credit

Illustration: circles comparing hail sizes from pea to softball with diameters in inches — Illustration: common hail size names used by the National Weather Service, drawn to scale. Illustration by HERE City.

Not hail: common look-alikes

Adjusters will check whether marks are hail or something else. These photos show aging, drainage wear, algae, installation problems and a falling limb. Damage that is uniform, follows water flow or sits under one tree points away from hail.

Badly aged brown asphalt shingles with curled, shrunken flaps and exposed nails — Not hail: shingles worn and cracked evenly by years of sun and weather, which adjusters treat as age. Photo: Dale Mahalko, CC BY-SA 3.0. Credit

Asphalt shingles worn more heavily along the eave below a wall where water runs off — Not hail: wear on a lower roof where water drains off the roof above. Photo: Dale Mahalko, CC BY-SA 3.0. Credit

Dark vertical streaks of algae on a gray asphalt shingle roof — Not hail: dark algae streaks, common on shaded Triad roofs. Cosmetic, not storm damage. Photo: Mcbooz, CC BY-SA 3.0. Credit

Gray shingles with lifted, misaligned courses on a steep roof — Not hail: per the photographer, poor installation and age caused this shingle failure, which insurance generally excludes. Photo: Sandul1234, CC BY-SA 4.0. Credit

Gray asphalt shingles with cracked and broken tabs where branches fell on them — Branches from a nearby tree broke these shingles in a thunderstorm. Limb damage sits under the tree, not across the roof. Photo: Samuel Bolton, CC BY-SA 4.0. Credit

If the roof gets replaced

Ask your roofer to photograph tear-off, the decking and the new underlayment. Those photos support supplements and answer questions later.

Roofing crew installing new shingles on base housing roofs damaged by a 2018 hailstorm — Housing re-roofed at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, in July 2019 after a 2018 hailstorm. Photo: Airman 1st Class Jonathan Whitely / U.S. Air Force, Public domain (U.S. government work). Credit

Workers on a lift and roof replacing shingles on a row of two-story homes after hail — Complete roof replacement after hail, Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, 2019. Photo: Airman 1st Class Jonathan Whitely / U.S. Air Force, Public domain (U.S. government work). Credit

A roofing crew tearing off and replacing shingles on a single-story house — A crew re-shingles a storm-damaged house in Moore, Oklahoma, May 2010. Photo: Win Henderson / FEMA, Public domain (U.S. government work). Credit

Checking your own house

Illustration: a house diagram labeling places to check for hail evidence: gutters, downspouts, vents, AC fins, window wraps, siding, fence, car — Illustration: where to look for hail from the ground. Soft metal and painted surfaces show hail first. Illustration by HERE City.

Start on the side that faced the storm: gutters, downspouts, vents, the heat pump, screens, trim, the deck and the mailbox. Then read how to check a Triad roof for hail and what to do after the storm.

How big has hail been in each Greensboro and the Piedmont Triad county?

Short answer: since 2006, every county this site covers has had hail of at least 1.75 inches, large enough to damage many roofs. The table shows the largest hail on record in each county (the most recent date if tied) and how many reports were 1 inch or larger.

County	Largest hail	Where and when	Reports 1 inch or larger
Guilford County	2.00 in (hen egg)	Broadview, March 16, 2025	76
Rockingham County	2.00 in (hen egg)	Ruffin, May 6, 2022	51
Alamance County	2.00 in (hen egg)	Alamance, April 28, 2016	39
Randolph County	2.00 in (hen egg)	Pisgah, June 26, 2015	36
Forsyth County	1.75 in (golf ball)	Cityview, May 12, 2016	36

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, 2006–2025. See the full local hail history.

When	Type	Where	Report notes
Apr 29, 2026 10:12 PM ET	Hail 1.25" hail	3 SW Mebane Alamance County	Picture passed along via social media shows a hail stone ranging from 1 to 1.5 inches. Time and approximate location estimated from radar.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use these photos for my claim?

No. Insurers need dated photos of your own home. Use these to learn what to look for.

Why are some images illustrations?

Few close-up photos of hail on house shingles are free to reuse, so labeled drawings fill the gaps.

Which photos should I take of my own house?

Wide shots of each side, close-ups of damage with a coin or ruler, the hailstones, and the storm date and time.

Hail damage photos: what Triad homeowners should look for

Metal roofs and equipment on the roof

Shingles, explained with drawings

Glass, walls and siding

Vehicles tell you how big it was

Photograph the stones

Not hail: common look-alikes

If the roof gets replaced

Checking your own house

How big has hail been in each Greensboro and the Piedmont Triad county?

Recent hail reports in the area

Frequently asked questions

Find local help

Sources

Hail damage photos: what Triad homeowners should look for

Metal roofs and equipment on the roof

Shingles, explained with drawings

Glass, walls and siding

Vehicles tell you how big it was

Photograph the stones

Not hail: common look-alikes

If the roof gets replaced

Checking your own house

How big has hail been in each Greensboro and the Piedmont Triad county?

Recent hail reports in the area

Frequently asked questions

Find local help

Related guides

Sources