Hail damage and your roof: a Colorado Springs guide

Why Colorado Springs gets so much hail

Warm, moist air from the plains gets pushed up against the Rampart Range and Pikes Peak on summer afternoons. Storms build fast, and because the city is already a mile up, hailstones have less distance to melt before they hit the ground. That's why the Front Range from Cheyenne to Pueblo is one of the most hail-prone stretches in the country.

Hail season runs roughly May through August, with the most damaging storms in June and July, usually between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Storms that have hit the area

What hail does to shingles

Hail bruises asphalt shingles: it knocks the granules (the gritty surface) loose and cracks the fiberglass mat underneath. From the street the roof usually looks fine. Up close you see round dark spots, bare asphalt and granules collecting in the gutters and at the bottom of downspouts. Once the mat is cracked, the sun and freeze-thaw cycles finish the job and the shingle starts leaking in a year or two.

Metal roofs dent, but standing-seam panels usually keep working. Many policies treat purely cosmetic dents differently from damage that lets water in, so read yours.

How to check after a storm (from the ground)

• Look for dents on gutters, downspouts, window wraps, the AC unit and the mailbox
• Check the ends of downspouts for piles of granules
• Look for shingle pieces in the yard or on the driveway
• Check soft metal on the roof (vents, pipe jacks) with binoculars for dents
• Note the hail size and date; a photo with a coin or ruler helps
• Don't climb onto the roof yourself

When to call your insurance company

If hail was around 1 inch or larger and you see dents on soft metals, get a roof inspection first. A roofer can tell you whether there's damage worth filing for before you open a claim. Policies set deadlines for reporting storm damage, so don't wait until next summer.

If there's damage, you file the claim with your insurer, an adjuster inspects, and the insurer decides what's covered. We can be on the roof with the adjuster and give you an itemized estimate that includes what a proper re-roof requires here, like ice-and-water barrier, drip edge and permit costs. How we help with claims.

Repair or replace after hail

A few hits on one slope can often be repaired. When bruising is spread across most slopes, the shingles are discontinued and can't be matched, or the roof is already 15+ years old, replacement is usually the better answer. That's when a Class 4 impact-resistant shingle is worth considering, because the next storm is coming.

Watch out for storm chasers

After big storms, out-of-state crews arrive, knock on doors and sign contracts fast. Ask for a local address, a Pikes Peak Regional Building Department license number, proof of insurance and a written estimate before you sign anything. A roofer who'll be here next summer is the one who'll honor the warranty.

Common questions