After the Hail: What LA Homeowners Should Inspect

Hail does fall in Los Angeles, just not often. Most roofs go years between storms, which is exactly why people miss the damage. Nothing drips right away, and the marks are small.

If you saw stones in the yard, check before the next rain. This guide shows what to look at first and what it means. It sits within our wider emergency roof repair work, and hail damage roof repair is a service we would assess case by case.

Does it hail in Los Angeles, and does it matter?

It is uncommon, and a short burst of small stones does little to a sound, newer roof. It does more to an old one. Van Nuys averages about 77 days a year at 90°F or hotter by NOAA's normals, compared with about 26 downtown, and long heat dries out shingles and rubber parts until they bruise and crack easily.

Material matters too. Soft metal, thin shingles, aged tile and low-slope coatings show hail first. That is why one house can look untouched and the next can have a damaged roof after the same storm.

How big are the stones in a Los Angeles hail event?

Usually small. In the winter storm of February 23, 2023, hail was reported in Pasadena, Long Beach, Santa Monica and Sylmar, where it coated parking lots, according to ABC7. Stones that size mostly mark soft metal and tired roofs. Damage to a sound asphalt shingle roof generally starts with stones around an inch across or larger, and that is rare here. Local history varies by address, and storm-report sites show hail frequency near Altadena as low.

Check these first after hail

Start on the ground. Hail leaves its clearest marks on things that dent easily, and those marks tell you whether the roof deserves a closer look.

1. Walk the yard and check the lawn, cars, patio furniture and planters for round dents or broken leaves.
2. Look at the gutters and downspouts. Aluminum dents quickly, and dents tell you stones came down hard.
3. Check vents and flashing you can see from the ground, especially soft galvanized caps.
4. Look at skylights and window screens for cracks and tears.
5. Photograph everything with dates, before rain washes it away.
6. Do not climb up. Wet shingles and tile are slick.

If the soft metals show dents, ask for an inspection. If you find nothing, the roof may be fine, but small bruising can still hide in the shingles.

What hail looks like on different roofs

Each roof type shows hail a different way. This table is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Granule loss on its own can come from age. We compare shingles with nearby soft metal. If the vents carry the same pattern, hail is the likely cause.

How roofers look for hail damage

This is where an experienced eye helps. We start with soft metals because they give a clean record. Then we move to the shingle or tile field and press gently at bruised spots, since a hail bruise often feels soft and spongy. We check slope by slope and note which directions carry the marks, because hail usually favors the side facing the storm.

We also look at details that homeowners rarely see. We check vent boots, skylight curbs and flashing joints, plus gutters and the first row of tile or shingle. On a flat roof, we look for cracks in the coating and water that sits in low spots.

One reviewer in Van Nuys describes a roof inspection that documented damage for an insurance claim. Our hail damage roof repair page explains how we would approach an inspection and quote.

What roofers weigh after hail: repair, replace or leave it

In a place where hail is rare, the right call is often smaller than the claim letter implies.

Dented metal only. Dents in vents and gutters can be cosmetic. If the metal still sheds water and the seams hold, replacing a few caps is cheaper than any roof work. The trade-off is that the dents prove hail fell, so photograph them before anything is changed.

A few bruised shingles. Spot replacement is possible on a young roof. On an older roof, lifting tabs can crack them, and new shingles will not match faded ones, so the patch can look obvious. If bruising is widespread, the mat has lost granules and the roof is aging faster than it looks.

Tile with chips. Replacing individual tiles is the usual answer. The risk is matching, since old tile weathers differently, and walking on brittle tile causes new breaks.

Claim or pay out of pocket. A small repair under the deductible may not be worth a claim. A widespread loss on an older roof may be. Ask your insurer how roof age and condition affect coverage before you decide.

We would rather tell you that a roof is fine than replace it for dents that did not matter.

When a hail claim is worth filing

Whether it is worth filing depends on the damage, your deductible and your roof's age. Hail is often a covered cause, but terms vary, so read your policy. Ask your insurer how roof age and condition affect coverage, since insurers consider both.

A few practical points:

• Photograph before anything is cleaned or repaired.
• Get an inspection report and a written repair estimate.
• Ask what documentation your insurer wants.
• Know that a FAIR Plan policy is a basic fire policy, with wind and hail as add-ons.

We can inspect, photograph and document damage, write a repair estimate and be on site when the adjuster visits. Negotiating the claim itself is for you or a licensed public adjuster.

Hail damage to gutters, skylights and vents

Gutters and vents are the quickest read on a storm, and they are often the cheapest repair. Dented aluminum gutters may be only cosmetic. A crushed seam or bent hanger can send water down a stucco wall. Cracked skylight glazing or domes leak sooner or later. Vent caps that are dented or split let in rain and small animals.

Repairs can be small, and they can prevent a larger one. Ask for gutters, vents and skylights to be checked on the same visit as the roof.

Why Burbank homeowners should still look

Burbank sits at the foot of the Verdugo Mountains in the east San Fernando Valley, and hail is as uncommon there as anywhere in the county. That makes a homeowner's first question a fair one: was it hail, or was it age? Burbank has its own building department for permit questions, so the address matters for repairs beyond a patch.

We work from Van Nuys and cover Burbank. We would tell you plainly whether we found real hail damage or ordinary age wear, because the honest answer saves you money either way.

Booking a roof check after hail in Los Angeles

Call with what you saw in the yard, the gutters and the vents, and send your photos. Because hail is uncommon here, we would expect most visits to find either minor metal dents or age wear, and we will say which. Our storm damage roof repair and emergency roof leak repair pages explain how we would approach a visit, and our guide to meeting an insurance adjuster covers the claim side.

Think hail hit your roof? Call (209) 563-1278, describe what you found, and we will set the earliest visit we can.