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How to check if hail hit your address

You can check two kinds of public weather data to see whether hail fell near your home: radar estimates and storm-spotter reports. Our address check combines both.

Radar-estimated hail size

NOAA’s Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor system (MRMS) estimates the largest hail size in a storm every few minutes on a grid of about 1 km (0.6 mi). This estimate is called MESH. It covers the whole country, including places where nobody reported hail.

MESH estimates hail inside the storm, so the size that reaches the ground can be smaller or larger. Treat it as evidence that a storm with hail passed nearby, not as a measurement at your house.

Storm-spotter reports

Trained spotters, emergency managers, and the public report hail to the National Weather Service. These reports give an actual size at a specific place and time, but they only exist where someone was watching and reported it.

Source: NWS hail size guide

What hail size means

• Under 1″ (penny, nickel): below the NWS “severe” threshold. Repeated small hail can still wear older shingles over time.
• 1″ to 1.75″ (quarter to golf ball): severe hail. Hail this size can damage shingles, especially older ones.
• 1.75″ and larger (golf ball and up): NWS considers this a “considerable” damage threat.

Source: IBHS: hail impact performance of asphalt shingles

What the data can’t tell you

Storm data can show that hail fell near your home. It can’t show whether your roof was damaged or whether any repair would be covered by insurance. Only an in-person inspection can show damage, and only your insurance company decides coverage.

RoofTester is not an insurance company, insurance agent, or adjuster. We don’t handle insurance claims or give claim advice. Only your insurance company decides what your policy covers. This page is general information, not insurance or legal advice.