After a hailstorm, a lot of Plano homeowners hear the same three words about their roof: hail, blistering and wear. They lead to very different answers. Hail damage vs blistering is the distinction that decides whether a mark on your shingles is linked to a storm date, a product condition, or simply age.
This guide explains what each one is, what the evidence for each looks like, what you can safely check yourself from the ground, and why the final call has to be made on the roof by someone trained to make it.
Hail damage vs blistering vs normal wear: what is the difference?
Hail damage is caused by an impact on a known storm date. Blistering is the shingle expanding from gas trapped inside it, so it starts within the shingle rather than from something hitting it. Normal wear is the slow ageing of the roof over years. The cause matters because it shapes the repair, the replacement decision and any insurance conversation.
The National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) defines both clearly in its homeowner guidance on roof repair after a hailstorm. It describes a blister as shingle expansion caused by trapped gases such as air or water vapour. It describes hail damage to asphalt shingles as granule loss, material removed at the edges of shingles, and penetration.
| Hail damage | Blistering | Normal wear | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cause | Impact from hailstones | Gas trapped in the shingle expanding | Age, sun and weather over years |
| Has a date? | Yes, a specific storm | No | No |
| Starts from | The outside, where a stone struck | Inside the shingle | Across the whole surface over time |
| Supporting evidence | Storm reports, dents in soft metal nearby | None from a storm | The roof’s age and general condition |
| Who confirms it | An inspector on the roof | An inspector on the roof | An inspector on the roof |
Telling them apart from a photo or from the driveway is unreliable. Each can leave pits or bare patches where granules are gone. That is why the evidence around the mark matters as much as the mark itself.
What does hail damage to shingles actually look like?
Hail damage to asphalt shingles shows up as granule loss where stones struck, dents, cracks or fractures in the shingle, material torn from shingle edges, and in severe cases holes through the shingle. Damage tends to come with other evidence of the same storm, such as fresh dents in gutters, vents and other soft metal on the house.
The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) tests shingles by firing lab-made hailstones at them. For its hail impact-resistant shingle ratings, IBHS assesses damage ranging from granule loss, dents and surface cracks up to a fully compromised shingle. Those are the forms hail damage takes on an asphalt roof.
Severity matters. IBHS research on water leakage from hail-damaged shingles found a clear relationship between the size of a dent and how much water leaked through. Small dents let in negligible water. Large dents let in a lot. Tears in the shingle allowed large amounts of water through as tear severity increased.
NRCA puts it plainly: most hail-related damage is cosmetic and will not affect the life of roof shingles. Where there is severe splitting, significant granule loss, penetration or fracture, it says shingle replacement may be required.
So a hail finding is not automatically a new roof. It is a finding with a size, a location and a date, and those decide what happens next.
What is shingle blistering, and why does it happen?
Blistering is a raised bubble in an asphalt shingle caused by trapped gas, such as air or water vapour, expanding inside it. It is a condition of the shingle itself, not the result of an impact. When a blister breaks open, it can leave a small exposed spot that someone could mistake for a hail mark.
That last point is where the confusion starts. A popped blister and a hail hit can both leave a small spot where granules are missing. One came from inside the shingle; the other came from a stone. They have different causes, and different consequences.
NRCA’s guidance includes a direct warning for homeowners: except in extreme situations, do not attempt roof repairs, because puncturing a blister or spreading a coating or mastic covers up evidence a roofing contractor needs to find the problem. In other words, the worst thing you can do before an inspection is try to fix or tidy the marks.
What this guide does not do is tell you which shingle products blister, or why a particular batch might. That needs the manufacturer, the product and the roof in front of an inspector. If an inspector says your marks are blistering, ask them to explain in writing how they reached that conclusion and what they ruled out.
How does normal wear differ from storm damage?
Normal wear is gradual. Asphalt shingles become more brittle as they age, and the signs of an ageing roof include cracked or curling shingles and granules collecting in gutters. None of that needs a storm date. Storm damage arrives on a particular day and usually leaves other evidence of the same storm on and around the house.
NRCA notes that new asphalt shingles are more resistant to hail impact than older shingles, because asphalt becomes more brittle with age. That links the two: an older roof is both more worn and more easily damaged by the same hailstone.
NRCA’s homeowner FAQ lists the visible signs of a roof with problems: cracked, warped or missing shingles, loose seams, deteriorated flashing, and excessive granules collecting in gutters or downspouts. Indoors, it points to cracked paint, discoloured plasterboard and peeling wallpaper.
Granule loss on its own is the hardest sign to read, because it shows up in all three. How much shedding is normal, and when it means trouble, is covered in our guide to shingle granule loss.
What can you safely check yourself after a hailstorm?
You can check for evidence of hail without going on the roof. Look for fresh dents in gutters, downspouts, vent caps and other thin metal, shingle pieces or heavy granule deposits on the ground, and new stains on ceilings. Write down the storm date. The shingles themselves should be checked by a professional on the roof.
Soft metal is the most useful evidence a homeowner can gather. NRCA notes that inspecting thin aluminium fixtures helps verify hail impact, and that whether hail actually fell at a site can be established through statements and weather reports.
A ground-level checklist:
- Note the storm date and time. Write it down the same day.
- Walk the house after the storm has passed. Look at gutters, downspouts, window wraps and any metal vents you can see from the ground.
- Photograph fresh dents with something for scale, and note which side of the house they are on.
- Check the ground and downspout outlets for shingle fragments or granule piles.
- Check ceilings and, if you can reach it without a ladder at height, the attic hatch for new stains.
- Leave the roof alone. Do not climb up, and do not touch, seal or coat any marks you see from a window.
NRCA’s hail guidance warns that inspecting a roof means climbing a ladder on a potentially unsound, storm-damaged structure. That is a job for someone trained and equipped for it.
How do storm records help prove hail damage in the Plano area?
Storm records give a hail claim its date. NOAA’s Storm Events data shows hail reported across the Plano area on dozens of days in the last decade, with the biggest storms in spring and September. Matching your own notes to a recorded storm date is one of the strongest things you can bring to an inspection.
According to the NOAA Storm Events Database, the Plano area logged 310 hail reports on 62 separate days between 2016 and 2025, counted from the raw Storm Events data files. Hail of 2 inches or larger was reported on 17 of those days, and every one of them fell between March and June or in September.
Some dates from that record:
- 11 April 2016: hail measured at 5.25 inches was reported near Wylie, the largest in the area that decade.
- 24 March 2019: a 4.5-inch report was logged near Allen.
- 20 April 2023: a 3-inch hail report was logged near Plano.
These are reports, not a complete count. More reports come from places where more people live and can see the hail. A storm missing from the records does not prove hail did not fall on your street, and a storm in the records does not prove your roof was hit.
The size question matters too. The NOAA Storm Prediction Center defines a severe thunderstorm as one producing hail at least 1 inch in diameter, among other criteria. Which stone sizes damage which roofs is covered in our guide to what size hail damages a roof.
Why does the difference matter for insurance and repairs?
The cause decides who pays and what gets fixed. Hail is a storm event with a date. Blistering and normal wear are not. Your homeowners policy and your insurer decide what is covered, so the inspection report needs to say which marks are hail and which are not, with photographs and reasons.
IBHS notes on its hail research page that its field and claims work provides insights that help claims adjusters identify legitimate hail damage and reduce fraud. Adjusters and inspectors are trying to make exactly the distinction this guide describes.
NRCA’s guidance also describes what happens when two assessments disagree. If the adjuster’s findings and the roofing contractor’s findings differ, you may request a reinspection, at which the adjuster and the roofer review the damage together. NRCA notes that reinspections are common. Confirm the process for your own claim with your insurer.
For repairs, the cause changes the fix:
| Finding | What it usually leads to |
|---|---|
| Minor, cosmetic hail marks | Documented; repair may not be needed |
| Hail fractures, tears or penetration | Shingle repair or replacement in the affected areas |
| Widespread hail fractures across slopes | A replacement conversation |
| Blistering | A product and condition question for the inspector and manufacturer |
| General wear on an older roof | Planning repair or replacement on your own timeline |
If your roof needs a professional opinion after a storm, Roofing Repair Plano offers storm and hail damage roof repair in Plano, starting with an inspection that separates storm damage from wear in writing, with photographs.
What should a good inspection report say?
A good report names the cause of each finding: hail, blistering, wear or installation. It includes photographs of every finding, marks where on the roof each was found, ties hail findings to a storm date, and explains whether each one needs repair, replacement or no action. If it only says “damage”, ask for more.
Ask for these items in writing:
- The cause of each finding, with the reason given.
- Photographs, close up and wide, so you can see where each mark sits.
- Soft metal evidence on gutters, vents and other fixtures, if hail is claimed.
- The storm date the inspector believes caused any hail damage.
- What was ruled out, such as blistering or ordinary wear, and why.
- A recommendation for each area: no action, repair or replacement.
A report like that lets you compare two opinions on their reasoning, not just their conclusion. For the wider repair-or-replace picture, our complete roof damage guide walks through how age, extent of damage and decking condition shape the decision.
Frequently asked questions
How can I tell hail damage from blistering on my roof?
Not reliably from the ground. Hail damage comes from impacts on a storm date and usually comes with dents in nearby soft metal. Blistering is gas trapped in the shingle expanding, with no storm involved. Both can leave bare spots, so ask an inspector to confirm the cause on the roof, in writing.
Is cosmetic hail damage something to worry about?
NRCA says most hail-related damage is cosmetic and will not affect the life of roof shingles. Severe splitting, significant granule loss, penetration or fracture are different and may need shingle replacement. Have an inspector record which kind you have, with photographs, before deciding on repairs or speaking to your insurer.
Can I fix blisters or hail marks on my shingles myself?
No. NRCA advises against roof repairs except in extreme situations, because puncturing a blister or spreading coating or mastic covers up evidence a roofer needs to identify the problem. Going on the roof is also a fall hazard. Photograph what you can see from the ground and leave the roof to a professional.
Does insurance cover blistering or normal wear?
Your policy and your insurer decide what is covered, and policies differ. What an inspection report can do is separate storm damage, which has a date, from blistering and wear, which do not. Read your policy and confirm with your insurer before relying on any general answer about coverage.
Why do older shingles show more hail damage?
NRCA notes that new asphalt shingles are more resistant to hail impact than older ones, because asphalt becomes more brittle with age. An older roof can therefore show both wear and hail damage on the same surface, which is why a report should separate the two and explain each finding.
