🌪️ The Anatomy of an Oklahoma Hailstorm Roof Damage: What Really Happens to Your Roof

If you live in Oklahoma, you don’t need a weather app to know when hail season’s here. The sky goes green, the wind shifts, and next thing you know you’re running around outside yelling, “Get the car in the garage!”

But what’s actually happening to your roof when it all comes down?

Let’s break it down, and make it simple, with real data and a few storm stories from our crews here at McCann’s.

🌩️ Hail 101: How Those Ice Marbles Form

Every spring, warm, humid Oklahoma air collides with cold upper-level air… and boom! Thunderstorms. Inside those storms, powerful updrafts toss raindrops miles high, freezing them into ice. They fall, get caught, refreeze, and repeat until they’re heavy enough to drop out as hail.

In short: Mother Nature’s playing baseball with your shingles. Haha

And here’s the kicker, wind-driven hail is where most of the damage happens. Even smaller stones can hit at a sharp angle and bruise the mat underneath your shingles (that’s what causes leaks down the road).

🧊 Oklahoma Hailstorm Roof Damage by the Numbers

We see hail more often than just about anyone.

• Peak season: April through June.

   

• Record hailstone: 6 inches across, yes, the size of a grapefruit.

   

• Hot zones: Edmond, Norman, and OKC get hit hard sometimes.

   

So if you’ve ever watched the radar light up red and purple, you already know: Oklahoma is hail country.

🏠 What Hail Really Does to Your Roof (by Material)

Asphalt Shingles

Still the most common material used for roof replacement in Oklahoma. Hail knocks off granules, leaving soft “bruises” where the fiberglass mat underneath cracks. It might look fine today, but over time those bruises let in water.
If your roof’s more than 10 years old, even quarter-size hail can cause lasting damage.

Impact-Resistant Shingles

Good? Yes. Indestructible? Nope.

 Some brands perform way better than others, especially those made with rubberized asphalt. We install several Class 4 lines that actually bounce back better.

Metal Roofs

Usually they survive hail like champs. Although they can have some pretty big dents it typically is cosmetic. (But it still drives homeowners crazy). 

Strong enough to protect your home, but might need a repaint after a wild storm.

Tile or Slate

Looks great, cracks easy. Hail tends to chip corners or split tiles clean through.

Flat Roofs (TPO, Modified Bitumen, etc.)

Hail can puncture membranes or bruise the insulation underneath. It’s sneaky! You may not see leaks for months.

💨 Wind + Hail Damage = Double Trouble

Here’s something most folks don’t realize: wind speed can turn pea-sized hail into golf-ball-sized impact energy, which results in major storm damage that will only get worse given time.

That’s why one side of your roof might look shredded while the other side’s barely touched. We see this all the time across Edmond and Norman neighborhoods.

💡 Tip: If your gutters, window screens, or soft metals are dented, your shingles likely are too. Even if you can’t see it from the ground.

📊 How We Check for Hail Damage

At McCann’s, we don’t just “eyeball” your roof. We:

1. Inspect each slope: because wind hits every direction differently.

    

2. Mark test squares (10×10 sections) to measure the number of impacts.

    

3. Check for bruising: that soft, spongy feel that means the shingle mat’s broken.

    

4. Look for collateral damage like dented vents, gutters, or flashing.

    

5. Verify weather data with HailTrace, which pulls data from NOAA and local radar logs to match your exact storm date.

    

When it’s all done, you get a clear, photo-rich report that your insurance adjuster can’t ignore.

📅 What To Do After a Storm

1. Take pictures of any hail you find (use a coin for size reference).

    

2. Walk around your home! Look for dented gutters, splattered mulch, or damaged screens.

    

3. Don’t climb on the roof! Leave that to us.

    

4. Call McCann’s Roofing for a free inspection!

    

🌤️ Why Oklahomans Choose McCann’s

For nearly 30 years, we’ve been the go-to roofing company for Edmond, Norman, and Oklahoma City homeowners. We’ve literally weathered every storm season right alongside you.

We’re a Native-American family-owned business built on trust, experience, and good old-fashioned Oklahoma grit. Whether you need a roof repair, full roof replacement, or just an honest inspection after the latest hailstorm, our team’s got you covered.

McCann’s Roofing & Construction, Projects Built on Experience. Relationships Built on Trust.