How can I tell if hail damaged my vinyl siding?

Look for cracks, holes and chips, especially on the side of the house that faced the storm. Cracks often run along the panel or form half-circles between the ridges, and the bottom edge of each course may be chipped. Look at the siding from an angle in low light to see dents.

Should I call my insurance company or a contractor first?

Take photos first, then call your insurance company to open a claim and ask about the deductible and whether an adjuster will inspect. A contractor can then measure the damage and give you a written scope and price.

Does insurance pay to replace all my siding if only one wall is damaged?

It depends on your policy and the insurer. Some policies and insurers consider whether matching materials are available; others only pay for the damaged area. Ask your insurer how they handle matching before repairs start.

How soon should storm-damaged siding be fixed?

Cover any openings right away to keep water out. Permanent repairs can wait until you have documented the damage and talked to your insurer, but do not wait months – water behind damaged siding can rot the sheathing.

Hail or Wind Damaged Siding: What to Check and Do

What storms do to siding

Storm damage to siding is real even far from the center of a storm. When the remnants of Hurricane Ida spun up an EF-2 tornado from Fort Washington to Horsham, Pennsylvania, on September 1, 2021, the National Weather Service damage survey described roofing and siding damage to homes along its eight-mile path. When Hurricane Milton made landfall south of Tampa Bay in 2024, gusts of about 100 mph were still measured at St. Petersburg’s airport. Different materials fail in different ways:

Vinyl cracks and punctures, especially when it is cold. Home inspectors look for cracks running along the panel or in half-circle shapes midway between the ridges, and chips at the bottom edge of each course. Wind unlocks panels at the seams and peels them off.
Aluminum dents rather than cracks. The dents do not always let water in, but they are permanent and easy to see in low-angle light.
Fiber cement resists hail well, but large hail can chip corners and edges, and a direct hit from debris can crack a board.
Wood and engineered wood show dents and split paint. Where the paint is broken, water gets into the wood and rot follows.
Soffit and trim are often the first parts to go in high wind, and an open soffit lets wind-driven rain into the attic.

How big does hail have to be to damage siding?

The National Weather Service calls a thunderstorm “severe” when it produces hail one inch in diameter or larger (about the size of a quarter) or wind gusts of 58 mph or more, according to NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center. Hail that size can crack aging or cold vinyl and dent aluminum. Smaller hail usually does little to siding in good condition, but it can still split vinyl that has become brittle with age, especially on the side of the house that faced the wind. Wind matters as much as size: hail driven sideways by strong gusts hits walls far harder than hail falling straight down.

Wind damage looks different. Look for panels that have unlocked at the seams, pieces missing near corners and roof edges, soffit panels pushed up or out, and J-channel pulled away around windows. Loose panels flap and rattle in the next wind and are often lost in the storm after that.

Step 1: Stay safe and stop the water

Wait until the storm has passed and check for downed power lines before you walk around the house. If siding or soffit is missing, cover the opening with plastic sheeting or a tarp to keep rain out of the wall and attic. Keep receipts for anything you buy – temporary protection is often covered by insurance as a reasonable step to prevent further damage.

Step 2: Document everything before anything is removed

Photograph every side of the house, first from a distance and then close up
Take close-ups of cracks, holes, dents and missing pieces, with a coin or tape measure for scale
Photograph damage to gutters, window screens, AC fins, cars and outdoor furniture – they help show how large the hail was
Note the date and time of the storm and save any weather alerts you received
Keep a piece of broken siding if you can; it shows the product and color

Step 3: Call your insurance company

Homeowners policies generally cover sudden storm damage, not wear and tear. Call your insurer or agent soon after the storm, ask what your deductible is for this kind of damage (many Florida policies have a separate hurricane deductible) and ask whether they want an adjuster to see the damage before repairs. Do not sign a contract that hands your insurance claim to a contractor until you understand exactly what it says.

Step 4: Watch out for storm chasers

After every big storm, crews from out of the area go door to door. The Pennsylvania Attorney General has warned that fraud often follows severe weather: crews show up with pitches like “we can maximize your insurance payout” or “this has to be fixed today,” then do poor work with cheap materials or leave with the money. Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation issues similar warnings after hurricanes and urges homeowners to hire only licensed contractors.

In Pennsylvania, check the contractor’s home improvement registration with the Attorney General; in Florida, check the license at myfloridalicense.com
Do not pay large amounts in cash or up front
Get a written contract with the full scope of work and the price
In Pennsylvania, home improvement contracts of $500 or more must be in writing, and you have three business days to cancel
Be wary of anyone who pressures you to sign the same day

Step 5: Repair or replace?

If only a few panels are damaged and matching panels are available, a repair may be enough. But storm damage often exposes a matching problem: siding that has been in the sun for 15 years is noticeably lighter than new panels of the same color, and many older profiles are discontinued. Replacing whole walls, or the whole house, is common after larger storms. Ask the contractor to check the house wrap and sheathing behind damaged areas, because water that got in during the storm can cause rot later.

What a good storm inspection includes

When a contractor looks at storm-damaged siding, expect more than a quick look from the driveway. A thorough inspection covers every elevation, including the back and the gables; checks soffit, fascia, trim, gutters and window wraps; pulls a panel or two in the worst areas to look at the house wrap and sheathing; and documents the product, profile and color so replacement pieces can be matched or so it is clear why they cannot. Ask for the findings in writing with photos – they are useful for your insurance claim as well.

If you live in Florida

After a hurricane, re-siding work still needs the usual permits, and the siding and soffit must carry a Florida product approval for the wind pressures at your address. Hire a contractor whose license you have checked on myfloridalicense.com and who will pull the permit in their own name. Save the permit and final inspection paperwork: insurers and future buyers may ask for it.

If you live in Pennsylvania

Contractors who do $5,000 or more of home improvement work a year must be registered with the Attorney General, and their registration number must be on the contract. Installing vinyl or aluminum siding on an existing home is excluded from the state’s Uniform Construction Code, but other materials and structural repairs can still need a local permit. If your home was built before 1978, the contractor has to follow the EPA’s lead-safe rules when disturbing more than 20 square feet of painted exterior surface.

Choosing siding that holds up better next time

If your area sees hail, ice or flying branches, consider a thicker vinyl, insulated vinyl, engineered wood or fiber cement. Consumer Reports’ impact tests found that all-vinyl products did worse at 0°F than at 70°F, while fiber cement and some alternative products scored best in cold-weather impact. In Florida, ask for the Florida product approval number of the siding and soffit, which shows the wind pressure it is rated for, and make sure it is installed exactly as that approval requires.

Hail or wind damaged siding: what to check and what to do