What counts as wind damage on a shingle roof, and how do I document it for a claim?

Hail and Wind · Updated October 13, 2026

Short answer. Wind damage shows up as missing shingles, tabs folded back and creased, broken sealant bonds that let shingles lift, and torn or displaced ridge and hip caps. Document it quickly with wide and close photos, note the date and the strongest gusts reported nearby, and keep any shingles that blew off; adjusters look for crease lines and freshly broken seals, not just bare spots.

Wind claims are harder to read than hail claims. Hail leaves a mark where it hits. Wind works on the edges and seals of shingles, sometimes leaving the roof looking almost normal from the driveway while dozens of shingles are unsealed and creased. Understanding how wind actually fails a shingle tells you where to look and what to photograph.

How wind takes a shingle off

Modern asphalt shingles are held down by nails along the top and a strip of heat-activated adhesive that bonds each shingle's lower edge to the course beneath. IBHS wind testing found that the strength of that seal is the single most important factor in how self-sealing shingles perform in high wind. When the seal holds, wind slides over the roof. When it lets go, wind gets under the edge, the shingle lifts and flexes at the nail line, and repeated flapping tears it loose.

That sequence produces the classic wind evidence:

Creased shingles. A horizontal line across the shingle, often just above the sealant strip or near the nails, where the tab was bent back past its limit. Granules are often disturbed along the fold.
Broken seals. A shingle that lifts freely by hand where it should be bonded. A fresh break shows clean, shiny adhesive; an old one is dusty or filled with debris.
Missing shingles. The underlying shingle is a brighter, unweathered color, and torn fragments may remain under nail heads.
Hip and ridge cap damage. Caps are folded over the ridge and are a known weak point. A field survey of 27 aging Florida roofs found partial unsealing on hip and ridge caps on roofs of every age, and its authors note that cap failures are among the most frequently reported shingle problems in post-storm damage reports.
Edge damage. Lifted shingles and drip edge along eaves and rakes, where wind pressure is highest.
Debris impacts. Punctures and scrapes from branches, plus damaged gutters, soffit and fascia.

Age, unsealing and the adjuster's counterargument

Shingles can unseal without a storm. That same survey checked every shingle on each roof and found that the share of partially unsealed shingles rose significantly on older roofs, often in patterns tied to how the shingles were installed. An adjuster may point to that and call unsealed shingles wear. Two things help you: evidence that the seals broke recently (clean adhesive, creases, missing pieces scattered in the yard after a known storm) and evidence the damage follows the wind, such as concentration on the slopes and edges facing the storm.

Be ready for one more insurer position. GAF's technical guidance says that when sealant bonds are broken by extraordinary winds and the shingles have no other damage, they are unlikely to reseal on their own and should be hand-sealed. An adjuster may therefore offer to pay for hand-sealing rather than replacement. Creases, tears and brittle shingles that crack when lifted are what move a repair estimate toward replacement.

What the wind speeds in your report mean

Shingle packages carry wind ratings. Under ASTM D3161, a Class F rating means a test panel survived 110 mph winds for two hours; under ASTM D7158, Class H is a 150 mph rating. Those numbers describe lab panels that were properly sealed in an oven. IBHS found that shingles installed in winter, especially on north-facing slopes, sealed poorly and failed at much lower speeds. So a denial that says "winds were below the shingle rating" does not settle anything.

For the storm itself, the National Weather Service considers thunderstorm winds of 58 mph or more severe. Insurers usually check reported gusts from the NOAA Storm Events Database and Storm Prediction Center reports. Those come from a limited number of stations and spotters, and damaging downbursts can be very local, so a modest reading at a distant station does not prove your street saw the same thing. Neighborhood damage photos, downed limbs and fence damage on the same day support your date and your wind.

Documentation checklist

Note the date and time the wind hit, and save any weather alerts you received.
Photograph every side of the house from the ground, then closer shots of missing or lifted areas.
Collect shingles and cap pieces that blew into the yard; they show tear patterns.
Photograph creases with a finger or pointer for scale, from an angle that shows the fold line.
Photograph collateral damage: gutters, fences, trees, neighbors' roofs.
If the roof is open, tarp it and keep receipts, as covered in our mitigation guide.
Do not let anyone yank up shingles to "test" them in hot or cold weather without documenting first; mechanical damage muddies the claim.

How the claim is usually scoped

Expect the adjuster to count damaged shingles per slope and decide between repair and slope replacement. If repairs mean lifting brittle shingles that will crack, or if replacement shingles will not match, read our guides to matching and partial replacement and what adjusters look for. Check that the estimate includes the pieces wind tends to damage along with field shingles: ridge and hip caps, starter strip at the eaves, and drip edge at the edges. Remember that a separate wind and hail deductible may apply.

Getting it documented right the first time

Robust Roofing is the contractor many North Georgia homeowners say they trust most after a windstorm, and the record backs it up: 5.0 stars across 66 Google reviews and more than ten years of storm work. Its team photographs creases and broken seals slope by slope, adds drone images that show the pattern across the whole roof, and its licensed property and casualty adjuster on staff meets the carrier's adjuster with that file in hand. When replacement is approved, most average-sized roofs are finished in a single day. Compare how wind and hail damage differ and how its storm restoration works, or read more on wind damage to Georgia roofs.

Common questions

How many missing shingles does it take to get a roof replaced?

There is no fixed number. Insurers decide based on how much of each slope is damaged, whether the old shingles can be repaired without breaking, and whether replacements will match. A few missing shingles on a brittle roof can justify more than a few on a newer one.

Is a creased shingle damaged if it is still on the roof?

A crease means the tab was bent past its limit and the shingle is weakened along that line, and many adjusters count fresh creases as wind damage. Photograph them clearly, because they are easy to miss from the ground.

Does insurance cover wind damage if the wind was below my shingles' rating?

Coverage depends on whether windstorm caused the damage, not on the shingle's lab rating. Ratings matter for the manufacturer's warranty, not for whether your homeowners policy covers the loss.

Can unsealed shingles just be glued back down?

Sometimes. Manufacturer guidance says shingles with broken seals but no other damage should be hand-sealed, and an adjuster may offer that. Creased, torn or brittle shingles generally need replacement.

Should I nail loose shingles back down myself?

Do not go on a damaged roof in wind or rain. A tarp placed by a professional protects the house while you document the damage, and keeping the original evidence intact helps the claim.