Metal Roof Hail Damage and Wind Damage, Dent to Puncture
Cosmetic Dents Versus Functional Damage
A metal panel can take a hailstone, dent, and keep the water out. That's the gap between cosmetic and functional damage. A good roofer will check each dented area for cracked or crazed paint, because bare steel at the bottom of a dent can start to rust, and will look hardest at seams, ribs and laps, where a hit can open a joint.
Punctures and Split Seams
Large stones can punch through thin panels, skylight domes and plastic vent caps, and they can split a seam or crack sealant at an end lap. These are leaks, not looks. A puncture usually means a new panel; a sprung seam on standing seam may need re-seaming or a panel swap, since caulk won't hold a joint that moves with the heat.
Lifted Panels, Ridge Cap and Trim After Wind
Wind damage on metal tends to show first at the corners, eaves, rakes and ridge, where wind can get under an edge. Watch for a ridge cap lifted at one end, rake trim flapping, or a row of screws backed out along the eave. One loose piece gives the next gust something to grab, so get it fastened down quickly even if nothing is leaking yet.
Tree-Fall Damage
Pines and water oaks drop heavy limbs onto Jackson roofs in thunderstorms and ice storms. A limb can crease panels and bend the purlins or rafters under them even where it doesn't punch through. Have the limb taken off by a tree crew first, then ask the roofer to check the framing from the attic, because a creased panel over a cracked rafter needs more than a new sheet.
Documenting a Claim
Before anyone touches the roof, take dated photos from the ground and from upstairs windows, plus any dented gutters, downspouts, vents, cars or patio furniture, which show how big the hail was. Write down the storm date. NOAA's Storm Events Database logs hail and wind reports by county and date, which can back up what you saw.
Why Jackson homeowners call Jackson Metal Roofing Pros
- One independent metal roofer gets your request, not a call list
- A free measure, deck check and written estimate
- Ask for panel system, gauge and paint finish in writing
- The roofing permit is part of the scope: ask who pulls it
- No charge to the property owner for the referral
Metal Roof Hail Damage Record for Hinds County
NOAA's Storm Events Database, which records county-level reports, shows how often this happens here:
Hail
169 hail reports on 106 days from 2000 to 2024, in 24 of those 25 years. 91 reports were stones of 1 inch or more, 24 were 1.75 inches or more and 10 were 2 inches or more. The largest in the county measured 4.25 inches.March 18, 2013
Golf-ball to grapefruit-size hail crossed the county, with golf-ball to baseball-size reports over the downtown Jackson metro, and NOAA noted substantial roof damage.April 17, 2022
Tennis-ball hail, 2.5 inches, fell in southwest Jackson.Thunderstorm wind
488 damaging-wind reports on 271 days, most of them at 58 mph or more.Tornadoes
76 tornado reports in 22 of 25 years, including the April 15, 2011 EF3 that held EF2 and EF1 strength through western Jackson and damaged homes with both wind and falling trees.Tropical storms and ice
Katrina's peak gust at the Jackson airport in 2005 was about 64 mph; Ida's gusts in 2021 downed trees onto homes; ice storms in 2011 and 2021 coated trees and lines with a quarter inch or more.
Hail of 1.75 to 2 inches is the size behind the top hail ratings; how those ratings work is on FORTIFIED roof.
Metal Roof Hail Damage Claims and Policy Wording
Read the endorsement
Some homeowners policies carry a cosmetic-damage exclusion for metal roofs. In one 2023 federal case, a court read that wording to mean hail dents weren't covered unless they let water leak through. Look for words like "cosmetic," "marring" or "dents" in the wind and hail section, and ask your agent what yours says.Get functional damage named
If the roofer finds cracked paint, punctures, opened seams or pulled fasteners, ask for each one in writing with photos and locations.Check the license
The Mississippi State Board of Contractors licenses residential roofers and has a contractor search on its site. The board asks that bids and contracts be signed in the name on the license, so check that they match.Permit
The City of Jackson notes that permits can be required in an insurance claim; ask who pulls it.
Metal Roof Hail Damage Repair Order
- STEP01
Stay off the roof
Tarp only from a ladder if water is coming in, or have the roofer do it. - STEP02Photograph everything from the ground, with the date.
- STEP03Call your insurer and get a claim number before repairs start, apart from emergency tarping.
- STEP04Book a metal roof inspection so the findings are on paper before the adjuster visits.
- STEP05Fix leaks first through metal roof repair; price panel replacement only where the damage is functional.