Hail can damage a roof causing moisture to penetrate the building envelope. Typically, hail stones less than 3/4” in diameter will not damage the roofing material. While inspecting a roof for hail damage it should also be inspected for mechanical damage, improper installation, manufacturer defects, and exposure to the elements. These other types of damage to a roof can appear to be hail damage with out proper knowledge and close inspection of the damage.
Problems can arise once hail has damaged a roof. For example hail damage to cedar shakes will expose the underlayment (typically felt) to the elements and permit moisture to enter the structure. Once moisture has penetrated the structure numerous problems can arise.
