According to East Tennessee Wyo Dent Co, "Hail is a form of precipitation that occurs at the beginning of thunderstorms. They consist of near spherical pellets of ice and snow, usually combined in alternating layers."
By this definition alone, you can already imagine what potential damage hail can do to your home, specifically your roof. And, if hail can damage your roof, just think how it can damage your vehicle. In fact, big hailstones that fall with force have been known to cause fatal harm to humans and animals.
Scientists have been trying to reduce the destructiveness of hail by injecting large quantities of silver iodide into a thunderstorm. They are trying to overseed storm clouds so that smaller hailstones will form. This will prevent them from developing into large hailstones. But as of this date, results remain inconclusive.
Paintless Dent Repair Laramie on vehicles can easily be seen but the damage that hail does to your roof will not be as obvious. Hail damage results in a random pattern of strike marks in different sizes. You may find dents, cracks or bare asphalt (if you have asphalt shingles on your roof). Additional signs of hail damage to an asphalt roof could be: granules that have settled at the base of your downspouts, metal air vents that have significant damage and damaged and dented siding or gutters.
Generally, hail has to be at least 1 and 1/4 inches in diameter before it can cause damage to wood shake shingles or heavy composite shingles. Hail that is 1 inch in diameter may damage lightweight composite shingles. However, if you have deteriorated composite shingles on your roof, hail that is less than 1 inch in diameter can easily cause damage.
Most hailstorm damages are cosmetic and won't have any adverse effects on your roof. However, moderately severe hail damage that strips shingle of their coatings may affect the longevity of your roof and this may qualify for repairs covered by your insurance. If the damage will cause leaks, exposed areas should be covered with tarps held in place with wood strips and nails. When you can access the roof, you should permanently repair the sheathing and replace missing and damaged tiles, shingles or shakes.
There are several roofs that carry this rating but the most likely to endure hail with minimal or no damage would be concrete tile, composite shingles and metal roofs. When you purchase a roof be sure to check with the manufacturer to determine what hail rating is given to a particular product.
If hail can damage your roof, then an exposed vehicle can sustain much damage. Dents will most likely be the most common problem. If your vehicle will be exposed to large hailstones however, there is a probability that you might end up with broken windows and/or a broken windshield. The good news is, with your vehicle, you can take preventive measures so that it will not be damaged by hail.