The September 11 storm put golf-ball hail on Converse and Kirby at 10:12 PM. Three days later the National Weather Service has a Heat Advisory over Bexar County, with highs near 99, heat index values of 105 to 111, and forecasters saying Friday and Saturday will be the hottest days of the week. That combination matters for your roof, and for your claim.
Why a hot week after a hail storm is a problem
A hailstone does two things to an asphalt shingle. It knocks the protective granules loose at the point of impact, and it bruises the fiberglass mat underneath. Neither looks dramatic on day one. What happens next is that sun and heat go to work on the exposed asphalt. Bruised spots dry out, granules keep shedding into the gutters, and by the time the first cold front of the season arrives the damage is both worse and harder to tell apart from ordinary aging.
Carriers know this. When an adjuster inspects a roof in October and sees a mix of fresh hits and weathered spots, the weathered spots get called wear and tear, which is excluded. The inspection you get done this week is the one that fixes the storm date to the damage.
What hail damage looks like on a roof
"Hail damage roof inspection" is one of the most searched phrases in Texas right now, and most of the answers are written by roofers who want the job. Here is what the carrier's adjuster is actually looking for, so you know whether your roof has it.
- Bruises. Round, dark spots about the size of the stone, soft when pressed, with granules missing in the center. On the September 11 storm the stones were 1.5 to 2.5 inches, so expect marks bigger than a quarter.
- Granule loss in the gutters. Scoop a handful out of the downspout splash block. A fresh storm leaves a layer of black grit that looks like coarse coffee grounds.
- Collateral hits. Dents in the soft metal: gutters, downspouts, roof vents, the AC condenser fins, the mailbox, the window screens. Adjusters use these as proof of stone size and direction, and so do we. Photograph them before anyone straightens them out.
- Directional pattern. The storm moved southwest at 15 mph. Damage on the north and east slopes that thins out on the others is consistent with the storm, and that consistency is what gets a claim approved.
- Cracked or exposed mat. On older three-tab shingles, hail cracks rather than bruises. Look for star-shaped cracks with black asphalt showing.
How much hail damage does it take to replace a roof?
There is no statute. Most carriers use a working rule of thumb of 8 to 10 hail hits inside a 10-by-10-foot test square on a slope to call that slope a total loss. Some pay to replace only the slopes that meet the count, then argue the others can be repaired. Texas policy language on matching, the age and brittleness of the shingle, and whether a repair can actually be made without breaking the surrounding shingles all decide whether that partial-slope estimate stands. It usually does not, once someone pushes back with documentation.
Who should inspect it
Neighbors on Nextdoor and the Converse Facebook groups have been trading roofer recommendations since Friday night, and a good local roofer will inspect for free. Use one, but understand what you are getting: a contractor's opinion of whether they can sell you a roof. Two rules:
- Get photos and a written count of hits per slope from whoever goes up. A roofer who will not put the count in writing has not really inspected it.
- Do not sign anything that assigns the claim, sets the contract price at "whatever insurance pays," or commits you before the carrier's estimate exists. Texas law limits what a roofer can do on a claim, and we covered the details in the door-knocker post.
A licensed public adjuster inspects for the claim, not for the roofing contract. We document every slope with photos, chalk, a test square count and a moisture reading, and that file goes to the carrier before their adjuster sets the narrative.
Will filing raise my rates?
This is the question people ask before they call anyone. Texas Insurance Code §551.107 limits an insurer's ability to refuse renewal because of claims for damage from natural causes such as hail. It does not freeze your premium; Texas homeowners rates are set by territory and everyone in 78109 and 78244 is going to see the effect of September 11 whether they file or not. Not filing does not protect you from that. It only leaves you paying for the roof yourself.
What to do this week
- Before the Friday heat peak, photograph the gutters, vents, screens and any soft metal on the ground. Date-stamp the photos.
- Get the roof inspected, and get the hit count in writing.
- Report the claim. Your policy sets a deadline to give notice, and most Texas forms want it "promptly."
- If the carrier's estimate comes back as a repair or a partial slope, do not accept it as the ceiling. Call us and we will look at it free.
Weather and storm sources: NWS Austin/San Antonio Heat Advisory for Sept 14 and the Severe Thunderstorm Warning of Sept 11 (10:12 PM CDT, golf ball hail, 60 mph gusts, storm over Kirby moving southwest at 15 mph); KENS 5 Weather Works and Texas Public Radio on the week's heat and the weak front; KSAT Connect viewer hail photos; hail size reports from NWS spotters and StormerSite.
General information for Texas policyholders, not legal advice. Your claim depends on your policy and your property. More from the blog.