Soft metals
Gutters, downspouts, window wraps, the mailbox, and air conditioner fins dent at hail sizes that damage shingles. Dings in the soft metals are the most reliable ground-level evidence that the roof took hits too.
Storm Guide | Minnesota Water Damage Resource Center
Minnesota Storm and Hail Damage: Assessment and Documentation Guide
Minnesota's summer storm season delivers hail, straight-line winds, and torrential rain, and the hour after the sky clears decides two things: whether hidden damage gets found before it leaks, and whether your claim rests on your documentation or on a stranger's sales pitch. Both are decided in your own yard, from the ground, with your phone.
This guide covers the post-storm safety check, the ground-level inspection that finds hail and wind damage without a ladder, what hail damage actually looks like versus ordinary wear, the documentation standard adjusters respect, and the door-knocker economy that arrives with every major hail event.
Safety First, Then the Ground-Level Inspection
Before inspecting anything, clear the hazards: treat every downed or sagging line as energized and stay well away, call the utility rather than approaching, look up for hanging limbs and leaning trees before walking under them, and if the house shows structural movement or you smell gas, get out and make the calls from a distance. With the scene safe, the inspection happens from the ground. Hail tells on itself at eye level, and nobody should be on a wet roof.
Siding and screens
Look for chips, cracks, and circular impact marks on vinyl and fiber cement siding, especially on the sides facing the storm, plus torn window screens and cracked or splattered window trim.
Shingle litter
Granules piling up at downspout outlets, shingle fragments in the yard, and exposed black patches visible from the ground mean the roof surface is shedding. After wind events, look for lifted, creased, or missing tabs along the edges and ridge.
Inside the house
Check ceilings and the attic within a day or two: fresh stains, damp insulation, or daylight through the deck mean the water has already found a path, and the job has changed from inspection to the first hour protocol.
Hail Damage Versus Wear, and the Documentation Standard
Real hail damage on asphalt shingles looks like bruising: soft, dark, roughly circular impact points where granules were knocked away, scattered in a random pattern across the slope, sometimes with a give you could feel under a thumb. Because hail falls randomly, the marks land randomly. Ordinary wear looks different: granule loss concentrated in gutters and high-traffic water paths, blistering in tidy patterns from heat, and cracking that follows the shingle's own lines. The random-versus-patterned distinction is roughly the same test adjusters apply, so knowing it helps you read your own roof and anyone else's opinion of it.
The documentation standard is simple and strict. Same day as the storm, capture wide shots that place each damaged element in context, then close shots of individual impacts, with something for scale in the frame, a coin or a tape measure. Photograph every side of the house, the soft metals, the screens, the yard litter, and any interior stains, and note the date and approximate time of the storm itself, since your phone timestamps the photos to match. Save a local news clip or weather report referencing the hail event, because tying the damage to a documented storm date strengthens the claim, particularly when damage is discovered weeks later.
The Door-Knocker Economy, and When Tarping Cannot Wait
Every major hail event brings a wave of door-to-door roofing solicitation, and while some traveling operators do legitimate work, the pattern has red flags worth knowing. Pressure to sign anything on the spot, especially a contract or a letter of intent before an inspection. Offers to cover or waive your deductible, which insurers treat as a form of claims fraud that can expose the homeowner too. A company with no verifiable local address, no Minnesota contractor license number you can check, or references that all trace to other states. And most consequential, a request to sign an assignment of benefits, which hands control of your insurance claim to the contractor and is the single document that generates the most post-storm regret. The protective habit is boring and effective: take the flyer, sign nothing, and get a second opinion from an established local contractor whose license and references you can verify, one who will still exist in this market when a warranty question comes up in three years.
One repair genuinely cannot wait for that diligence: an opening in the roof. Missing shingle sections, punctures from limbs, or exposed decking need emergency tarping before the next rain, both to stop the water and because policies expect reasonable steps to prevent further damage. Document the opening first, then get it covered. If water has already entered, or you need emergency board-up and tarping with the interior drying handled at the same time, the 911 Restoration of Minneapolis storm damage team responds across the metro 24 hours a day.
Storm Damage Questions We Hear Most
Is hail damage covered by homeowners insurance?
Wind and hail are covered perils under standard homeowner policies, though many Minnesota policies now carry a separate wind and hail deductible that is higher than the base deductible, sometimes set as a percentage of the dwelling coverage. Read your declarations page before you file, and see the restoration FAQ for how deductibles shape small claims.
Should I file a claim if the damage looks minor?
Get the damage assessed and priced first, then compare it honestly against your wind and hail deductible, because a claim below or near the deductible recovers little while still going on your claims history. Minor-looking hail can hide roof damage that shortens the shingle's life, which is exactly what a trustworthy inspection settles before you decide.
What is an assignment of benefits, and should I sign one?
An assignment of benefits transfers your rights under the insurance claim to the contractor, who then deals with the carrier and receives payment directly. It removes you from decisions about your own repair, and it is the arrangement most associated with post-storm disputes. Signing away claim control on your doorstep the day after a storm is rarely in your interest.
Storm Water Already Inside?
Emergency tarping, board-up, and interior drying handled together. 911 Restoration of Minneapolis responds across the Twin Cities metro 24 hours a day.