How do you prove a hail storm caused the damage on an insurance claim?

Weather records

• Storm Prediction Center and National Weather Service storm reports list hail sizes reported near you.
• The NOAA Storm Events Database archives those reports.
• Radar-based hail maps estimate hail size street by street. Free North Georgia history by zip code is at northgeorgiahailmap.com.

Carriers buy weather reports too, so expect them to check the date you give.

Collateral evidence

Soft metals record hail size. Measure the dents on a gutter, downspout or vent cap; dents about an inch across suggest hail of roughly that size. Spatter marks, clean spots knocked into dirt or oxidation on painted surfaces, show direction and freshness but fade within weeks.

Roof evidence

Hail hits are random, concentrated on slopes facing the storm, and fresh: dark asphalt exposed, granules in the gutters, a soft spot under the hit. Old bruises weather to gray. If the hits look older than the storm you reported, the claim stalls; see hail versus wear.

When two storms come close together

Georgia springs sometimes bring hail days a week or two apart. Report the one the evidence matches, and if both hit, ask how your policy treats separate occurrences and deductibles. Our date of loss page explains.

Neighbors are evidence too

Your neighbor's new roof is not proof for yours, but photos of dented cars, gutters and mailboxes up and down the street on storm day help show the storm hit your block hard.