San Antonio Hail Season: What Homeowners Should Do Before April

Every year between April and June, San Antonio sits in the line of fire for severe thunderstorms coming down off the plains. In a typical year, the metro takes at least one storm with 1-inch or larger hail — the threshold where damage to standard asphalt shingles becomes near-certain. In a bad year, we see multiple qualifying events. Here's what we tell homeowners to do before, during, and after storm season.

Before the season starts (January–March)

Get a pre-season inspection

Inspecting in February or March sets a baseline. If we document your roof as intact before storm season, and damage shows up afterward, the insurance claim is straightforward — there's no debate about whether it was pre-existing. If your roof already has issues, you can address them before the storm season amplifies them.

Our free roof inspections include 30+ photos and come with a written report you can file away. We recommend all San Antonio homeowners get one every 2–3 years at minimum, and annually if your roof is over 15 years old.

Document your home's current state

Take photos of your roof (from the ground), gutters, downspouts, A/C condenser fins, windows, and yard. Save them with the date in EXIF metadata. If a claim becomes disputed, these photos establish what was intact before the event.

Review your insurance policy

Three things to check: your hail/wind deductible (often separate from your regular deductible — a percentage of home value rather than a flat amount), whether you have ACV or RCV coverage for roofing, and whether there's a "cosmetic hail damage" exclusion on your policy. Cosmetic exclusions are increasingly common in Texas and can reject claims that would previously have been paid. Call your agent and confirm.

Consider a Class 4 upgrade if you're due for replacement

If your roof is 15+ years old and you're entering storm season with aging shingles, roof replacement before the storm season is worth considering — especially with Class 4 impact-resistant shingles. You'll avoid the claim process, start the Class 4 insurance discount immediately, and go into storm season with a roof rated to handle it.

During a storm

Stay inside

Obvious but worth saying: don't go outside during active hail or high wind to inspect or photograph. Hail injuries are serious, and wind-driven debris is worse. The roof will still be there when the storm passes.

Note the time and duration

Knowing what time the storm hit and how long it lasted helps tie an insurance claim to a specific NOAA storm event later. If you can estimate hail size (many homeowners gauge against a golf ball or baseball), note that too.

After the storm (the critical 48 hours)

Check for immediate water intrusion

Walk the house. Check ceilings on the top floor for stains or dripping. Go in the attic if you can access it safely — look for wet insulation, water on rafters, or daylight visible through the deck. If water is coming in, call us immediately — we can tarp the same day to prevent interior damage as part of our storm damage response. This is a covered emergency repair under most policies.

Do a ground-level visual

From the yard, look at each slope of the roof. You're checking for: missing shingles, lifted/curled shingles, exposed underlayment, bent or dented ridge caps, damaged flashing around chimneys, and debris on the roof. Also walk the perimeter looking for shingles in the yard, dents in gutters and downspouts, and damaged vents or turbine caps.

Check your soft metal

The fastest hail size confirmation: look at A/C condenser fins (the aluminum fins on the outside unit). Dents in fins = hail strike. Same for window screens, aluminum patio furniture, and mailboxes. Soft metal dents give you a reliable hail size read — fin dents typically indicate 1-inch+ hail.

Call us before you call insurance

This is the single most important piece of advice: get a professional roof inspection before filing the insurance claim. We verify whether damage qualifies (so you don't file an unnecessary claim that still counts against your history), document the damage properly with photos and hail impact counts, and prepare materials that strengthen your claim. Filing with proper documentation from the start dramatically improves settlement quality and reduces the chance of disputes later.

Don't sign anything from a door-knocker

Within hours of a significant San Antonio storm, out-of-state storm chaser trucks roll into affected neighborhoods. They'll offer "free inspection," find "massive damage," ask you to sign an Assignment of Benefits or contract on the spot, and promise to handle everything. Don't do it. The AOB makes them the insurance beneficiary, they install the cheapest roof possible, and they leave town. When problems show up two years later, you can't find them. Use a local contractor who'll still be here.

The insurance claim timeline

1. Day 0–2: Storm passes, you do visual inspection and call us.
2. Day 3–5: We do a full inspection, verify damage qualifies, provide documentation.
3. Day 5–10: You file the claim with your insurance.
4. Day 10–21: Insurance adjuster meeting on-site (we attend with you).
5. Day 21–35: Scope of work received, we review and write any supplements.
6. Day 35–50: Supplement approval, material ordering, scheduling.
7. Day 50–60: Install, final inspection, depreciation release from insurance.

The whole process from storm to new roof typically runs 6–8 weeks. During peak storm season (late spring), it can stretch to 10–12 weeks just due to claim volume — so starting early matters.