Therefore as hailstones get bigger wind damage should also be considered.
Will dime size hail damage a roof.
Even small dime size hail stones can cause damage if a strong enough wind is behind it.
Most hailstone include hail in the size of a golf ball baseball tennis ball softball etc.
A general rule of thumb however is quarter size hail or larger.
Imagine a hailstone the size of a baseball falling on your roof from 30 000 ft at speeds greater than 70 mph the damage can be huge.
Marble sized hail can also fall into this safe zone and not normally cause damage to a roof.
Higher speeds increase the chance of impact damage.
Be aware of the condition of your roof before making a judgment on whether or not your roof needs an inspection after a hailstorm.
Pea 1 4 inch in diameter marble 1 2 inch in diameter.
There is also a greater chance of breaking slate or tearing asphalt if those materials are already damaged.
On average it takes a 1 or above diameter hail stone to cause damage to common asphalt shingles.
If you get dime size hail you might want to check out your roof flashing etc.
To see if there s damage.
According to the national oceanic and atmospheric administration noaa there was a total of 4 611 hail storms in the united states during the year 2018 with 2019 ending on a higher number as of year end more than 5 396 hail events were recorded although most people think that property and roof damage only occur in rare instances with larger than average hailstones even the smallest.
If your roof contains one layer of common asphalt shingles it usually takes a 1 or above diameter hail stone to cause damage roof hail damage.
Lightweight composite shingles may show damage after being struck by 1 inch diameter quarter size hail.
Even in extreme weather situations damage to a metal roof will take the form of small dents but not puncture break or tear the roof.
Hail damage to a roof is usually not the hail itself but the water that can seep through a roof damaged by hail.
The more extreme the wind the larger hailstones will be.
We get asked all the time what size hail will damage a roof.
When referring to hail sizes here are a few common objects to compare.
However there are some guidelines.
However it should be noted that hail is produced by wind updrafts shooting raindrops higher into the atmosphere where it freeze before it falls to your roof.
Only deteriorated composite shingles will show hail damage due to hail less than 1 inch in diameter and the hail generally must be more than inch in diameter dime size.
If you have an older roof that might already have potential damage that pea sized hail could potentially exacerbate the existing damage.
Dime to quarter sized hail 3 4 to 1 inch.
Metal roofs can handle hail extremely well even better than most other roof types.