Hail verdicts turn on one distinction: functional versus cosmetic. On shingles, functional hail fractures or bruises the mat under the granules, felt as a soft, crushed spot, and it shortens the roof's life whether or not it leaks today. On metal, dents that do not breach seams, fasteners, or coating are usually cosmetic, however dramatic they look from the ladder.
Spring's hail question arrives attached to wind, because Gulf storms deliver both in the same hour. The test square separates them: bruised, matted shingles in a counted pattern are hail's signature; creased and lifted tabs along edges and ridges are wind's. Metal takes dents that are cosmetic until a seam or fastener says otherwise. The documentation discipline is the local differentiator: this market staffs adjusters because it learned that the packet, not the damage, is what gets argued.
Adjusters evaluate hail in test squares: a marked 10 by 10 foot area per slope, hits counted and photographed, with soft metal damage (vents, flashing, gutters) as supporting evidence. A roofer's inspection that follows the same method produces a record your insurer can actually use.
Timing matters twice: policies set windows for reporting storm damage, and bruised mats weather faster after the hit. An inspection within days of a named storm, with dated photos, is the difference between a documented claim and an argument about an old roof.
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