How to Tell If Your Roof Has Hail Damage in Northern Colorado

By Dustin Peterich, Owner — Black Belt Roofing | Windsor, CO

A hailstorm just rolled through Windsor, Fort Collins, Greeley, or Eaton. Your neighbor is outside looking up at his roof. Someone in your neighborhood Facebook group is already posting photos of dented cars. You're standing in your driveway wondering — did my roof just take a hit?

Here's the honest answer: you probably can't tell from the ground. And that's okay. What matters is knowing what to do next and what to watch out for.

Step 1: What to Look For From the Ground

Before you even think about getting on your roof, do a quick walk around your property and look for the obvious signs that a storm did real damage.

Ask yourself: Are there branches down or leaves scattered across your yard? Did any of your vehicles get dented, especially if they were parked outside during the storm? Did you notice any leaks inside your home during or after the storm?

If you're seeing dented cars and tree damage, there's a good chance your roof took hits too. If everything outside looks fine, that doesn't necessarily mean your roof is clear. It just means the storm may have been lighter than it felt.

The truth is, from ground level, hail damage is extremely hard to see. Drones help, but the best thing you can do is get a trusted, local roofing contractor up there to do a thorough inspection with photo documentation. At Black Belt Roofing we document everything through an app called CompanyCam so you can follow along in real time as we photograph and video every section of your roof. That keeps integrity on both sides.

What Hail Damage Actually Looks Like Up Close

This is where most homeowners get confused, because hail damage doesn't look like a hole or a crack. At least not at first.

When hail strikes an asphalt shingle, it causes bruising. The granules, those small sand-like particles on the surface of your shingles, get knocked loose and will start washing away within a few days of the storm. What's left behind is a darker spot where the mat underneath is now exposed.

In more severe cases, the impact actually breaks the back of the shingle itself. When that happens, the mat is compromised. That mat is not designed to be exposed to water, and critically, that's where your nail holes are. Once water gets in there, you're on a clock before you have a real leak problem.

Even if the shingle isn't cracked, granule loss is serious on its own. Those granules are what protect your roof from UV rays. Here in Northern Colorado we sit at elevation with 300-plus days of sunshine. Once that protective layer is gone, the sun burns through those exposed shingles over the course of three to four years. By the time you notice a leak, the damage has been building for years.

What Homeowners Mistake for Hail Damage (And What's Actually Normal)

One of the most common calls we get is a homeowner who sees granules washing off their roof and immediately assumes they have hail damage. Granule loss happens naturally over time and doesn't always mean a storm caused it. Sometimes even pea-sized hail can knock off a little granule without causing any real structural concern.

The other big source of confusion right now is impact-resistant shingles. Over the last seven to eight years, most roofing contractors in Northern Colorado including us have been installing impact-resistant roofing systems as the standard. A properly installed IR roof can survive a golf ball-sized hailstorm without filing a claim.

So what happens after a major storm? You might have a neighbor whose older roof needs full replacement while your newer IR roof comes through just fine. That can feel confusing, especially when door knockers start showing up telling everyone on the block they have damage. Your roof's age, the shingle type, the hail size, the wind speed, and the angle of impact all factor in. That's exactly why you need eyes on it from someone who knows what they're looking at.

Photo: Granule loss and mat exposure near a roof vent in Eaton, CO. This level of damage is nearly invisible from the ground but shows clear impact bruising on close inspection. June 2025.

What Size Hail Actually Causes Damage?

Here in Northern Colorado we see a wide range, pea-sized, dime-sized, quarter-sized, and golf ball on the bad days. As a general rule, pea to dime-sized hail isn't going to do much to a healthy roof. Once you get to quarter-sized hail it depends heavily on wind. Quarter-size hail driven by 70 mph winds can cause significant damage. Golf ball-sized hail is usually when you'll know something is wrong. You'll hear it, you'll feel it, and you'll see the evidence outside when it's over.

Don't Just Check the Roof — Check Everything

Hail doesn't just hit your shingles. After a significant storm a thorough inspection should cover your gutters and downspouts, window screens and frames, siding, garage doors, exterior paint, and any personal property that was outside. Dents and dings on gutters are actually one of the strongest indicators of hail size and can support your insurance claim significantly.

We document all of it. The more complete your damage list, the stronger your position when it comes time to work with your insurance company.

Should You File a Claim First or Call a Roofer First?

Call a roofer first. Every single time.

If you call your insurance company before verifying you have damage and it turns out you don't, you now have what's called a no-pay claim on your record. That can affect your rates even though nothing was paid out. It doesn't matter how big the storm was or how worried you are. Verify the damage first with a professional you trust, then file.

A Word on Door Knockers

After every major storm in Northern Colorado, they show up. Guys going door to door, telling every homeowner on the block they have damage, offering to get up and take a look.

Door knocking used to serve a purpose, but the industry has been flooded with brand new salespeople and brand new companies whose only way to get business is to knock on strangers' doors. They have no insurance agent relationships, no referral base, and no reputation to protect.

Do not let an unknown door knocker get on your roof. Two reasons. First, liability. If someone gets hurt on your property and they're not properly insured, that's on you. Second, there are people out there who will create damage that wasn't there before just to generate a claim. It happens more than people realize.

Find a local vetted contractor. Check Google reviews. Ask a neighbor, a friend, or your insurance agent who they've used. A company with real roots in Windsor, Fort Collins, or Greeley has a reputation to protect and isn't going anywhere.

Our Honest Approach in Northern Colorado

At Black Belt Roofing, if we get on your roof and you don't have damage, we tell you that right away. That's not a loss for us. That's how we build trust. We're not looking to replace every roof in Windsor. We're looking to be the company you call when you actually need someone and the company you refer to your neighbor when they do.

If you're in Windsor, Fort Collins, Greeley, Loveland, Eaton, or anywhere in Northern Colorado and a storm just came through your area, give us a call. We'll get up there, document everything honestly, and tell you exactly what we see.

📞 Call or text: 970-803-2500

🌐 blackbeltroof.com

Schedule your free inspection. No obligation, no pressure.

Black Belt Roofing is a locally owned roofing contractor based in Windsor, CO, serving Northern Colorado homeowners with disciplined workmanship and honest inspections. Owens Corning Preferred Contractor.

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