After a Summer Storm: How to Check Your Roof for Damage

After a summer storm, check your roof from the ground, not from a ladder. Walk the whole house with binoculars, look for missing or creased shingles, dents in gutters and vents, and granules piling up at the downspouts, then check the attic and top-floor ceilings for new stains. If you find missing shingles, an active leak or fresh hail dents on metal, have a roofer take a closer look and tell you whether you need storm damage roof repair. Never climb onto a wet roof.

Stay off the roof

Wet shingles are slick, and storm-loosened granules roll underfoot like sand on a tile floor. A ladder in gusty wind is worse. Wait for daylight and dry weather, and leave the climbing to someone with fall protection.

Before you walk the yard, look for downed power lines. Treat any wire on the ground as live, stay well clear, and call your utility or 911. Look up before you walk under trees, too. A cracked limb hung up in the branches can drop hours after the wind stops.

The from-the-ground checklist

Take your phone and a pair of binoculars. Photograph as you go, wide shots first so it’s clear which side of the house you’re on, then close-ups.

Walk the yard. Shingle pieces, ridge caps or strips of flashing on the lawn mean something came off.
Scan every slope with binoculars. Look for gaps, shingles that are lifted, folded or creased, and dark patches where granules are gone.
Check the ridges, rakes and eaves. Wind gets under the edges first.
Look at the gutters and downspouts. Fresh dents in aluminum gutters and a pile of granules at the downspout outlets are classic hail signs.
Check the soft metals. Roof vents, flashing, the air conditioner’s fins, the mailbox and window screens dent before shingles do, and they tell you how big the hail was.
Look at the chimney and skylights. Bent or loose flashing lets water in even when the shingles look fine.
Check the siding, deck and fence. Dents and spatter marks on the side the storm came from back up the story.
Write down the date and time of the storm. If you end up filing a claim, the date matters.

Wind damage or hail damage

The National Weather Service calls a thunderstorm severe when it brings wind gusts of 58 mph or more, hail an inch across (about the size of a quarter) or larger, or a tornado. Southeast Michigan’s summer storms bring both straight-line wind and hail, sometimes in the same ten minutes, and the two leave different marks.

Sign	Wind	Hail
Where it shows up	Edges, ridges, rakes and the side facing the storm	Scattered across every exposed slope, no clear pattern
Shingles	Missing, torn, lifted or creased tabs	Dark bruises, spots of missing granules, cracks
Metal	Bent or peeled-back flashing	Round dents in gutters, vents and flashing
On the ground	Whole shingles and ridge caps in the yard	Granules at the downspouts, shredded leaves

Hail about an inch across is where asphalt shingles commonly start to take damage. Older shingles that have already lost granules can be hurt by smaller hail, while a newer, heavier shingle may come through the same storm fine. A creased shingle is a problem even if it lies back down. The fold weakens it and its seal is often broken, so the next storm can take it.

Signs inside the house

A damaged roof doesn’t always drip on day one. Check these places:

Top-floor ceilings, especially around chimneys, skylights, bath fans and exterior walls. A new brown ring or bubbling paint means water.
The attic, if you have safe access and a flashlight. Look for wet insulation, dark or damp decking, daylight through the boards and drips hanging from nail tips.
Upper walls and the tops of window frames, where water running down inside a wall shows up first.

Water runs along rafters and decking before it drips, so the stain is often a few feet from where the water got in.

Temporary measures while you wait

Put buckets and towels under drips, and move furniture, electronics and stored boxes out of the way.
If water is near a light fixture or outlet, turn off that circuit at the breaker and leave it off until it has been checked.
Stay out from under a sagging, water-filled ceiling. It can come down with little warning.
Photograph everything before you clean up, and keep receipts for tarps, buckets and anything else you buy.
Have a roofer tarp the damaged area instead of climbing up yourself.

Michigan’s insurance regulator, DIFS, notes that a policy may not cover further damage if reasonable temporary repairs, like tarping a hole, weren’t made. If you plan to file a claim, hold off on permanent repairs until your insurer has seen the damage.

DIFS also warns that after severe weather, people posing as contractors or adjusters go door to door. Take a business card, not a contract. Nothing about storm damage needs a signature on the driveway.

When to call a roofer

Call for a closer inspection if you see any of these:

Missing shingles, exposed underlayment or bare wood
Creased or lifted shingles along the edges or ridge
Dents in vents, flashing or gutters after hail
A noticeable pile of granules at the downspouts after a single storm
Any new stain, drip or damp insulation
A tree limb on the roof, even if nothing looks broken

A roofer can do what you shouldn’t: walk the roof, lift tabs to check the seal, and find bruises you can feel but not see from the ground. If the damage is limited, it’s usually a roof repair: a handful of shingles, a pipe boot, a length of flashing. If the roof was near the end of its life before the storm, a repair may only buy time, and it’s worth knowing what a roof replacement costs in Michigan before you decide. For a once-over after a storm when you’re not sure what you’re looking at, start with a roof inspection.

Frequently Asked Questions

How soon after a storm should I have my roof checked?

Look from the ground as soon as it’s safe and dry, ideally within a day or two. Report likely damage to your insurer promptly, since policies expect timely notice and a lifted shingle tends to get worse with the next storm.

Can hail damage a roof without causing a leak?

Yes. Hail can bruise shingles and knock off granules without breaking through, which shortens the shingles’ life and can let water in months later, so a close inspection after a hailstorm matters even when the ceilings are dry.

Is it safe to put a tarp on my roof myself?

Not on a wet, steep or windy roof, and not without fall protection. Have a roofer tarp it and keep the receipt, since reasonable temporary repairs help protect an insurance claim.

What size hail damages a roof?

Hail about an inch across, roughly the size of a quarter, is where asphalt shingles commonly start to show damage. Older, worn shingles can be hurt by smaller hail, and newer, heavier shingles may need larger stones.