Hail Damage Asphalt Roof Shingles​

When your roof is hit by hailstones, asphalt shingles can easily show obvious signs of damage, including the following:

• Cracked or torn shingles. The impact caused by the hailstones can tear your asphalt shingles. So after a hailstorm, make sure to look for small crescent-shaped black lines on your roof that will usually be visible only upon close inspection. These cracks and tears can lead to water leaks so have them repaired immediately. Don’t let this hail damage asphalt roof shingles worsen and cause more harm to your property.
• Missing shingles. The impact of the hailstone can also tear off your asphalt roof shingles completely. So once a hailstorm has hit your area, get a pair of binoculars afterward and go around your house. Check whether there have been any missing shingles on your roof. If so, contact a roofing contractor right away before this can cause further damage to your home.
• Loss of protective granules. Surface granules are used on asphalt shingles to add weight and color, and to block the sun’s harmful effects on the underlying asphalt. With hailstones, it can easily dislodge these granules from the roof thereby making it more susceptible to the sun’s damaging UV rays.
• Bare spots exposing the roof deck and underlayment. Large and sharp hailstones can easily tear into the upper layer of your asphalt roof, ripping off the protection and exposing the roof deck and underlayment to the sun. When this happens, your roof becomes more vulnerable to UV light degradation which can accelerate cracking, blistering, algae formation, and water leakage.
• Color patches on the roof. When the hailstones hit your roof and penetrated the surface, color patches will be visible on them. These will allow water to seep through beneath the shingles. When this happens, water can easily enter the interiors of your home and cause further damage. Worse, it can even compromise the structural integrity of your property in general.