Does insurance pay for weather damage?
Short answer. Homeowners insurance pays for sudden weather damage from wind, hail, lightning, the weight of ice and snow, and trees knocked down by storms. It does not pay for flooding or rising water, earth movement, or the slow wear that sun, heat and rain cause over years, which insurers treat as normal aging.
Weather that is usually covered
- Wind: including tornadoes and straight-line winds from thunderstorms.
- Hail: damage to roofs, gutters, siding, windows and vents.
- Lightning: strikes and the fires and power damage they cause.
- Ice, snow and sleet: weight that damages the roof, and limbs that fall under ice.
- Freezing: burst pipes, as long as you kept the heat on or drained the system.
- Rain, but only when wind, hail or a fallen tree first opened the roof or a wall.
Weather that is not covered
- Flood and surface water: rising creeks, storm surge, water flowing across the yard. This requires a separate flood policy, and the federal flood program generally has a 30 day waiting period before coverage starts.
- Earth movement: landslides and settling after heavy rain.
- Gradual weathering: shingles worn out by sun and heat, algae, rot.
Weather deductibles
Many Georgia policies carry a separate wind and hail deductible, often a percentage of the dwelling limit, and coastal policies may have a named storm deductible. Check your declarations page before storm season.
Georgia's main weather risks
Spring hail and severe thunderstorms, summer lightning, tornadoes, the remnants of tropical systems, and occasional ice storms in the north. Free hail history by zip code is available at northgeorgiahailmap.com.
Read next: hail size and roof damage, wind damage claims and percentage deductibles.