Hail Damage
Arkansas Hail Season: What Hot Springs Homeowners Should Know
Arkansas hail season runs roughly March through June. Learn what hail does to your roof, how to spot damage, and what to do next. Call 501-359-5550.
When is hail season in Arkansas?
Arkansas hail season runs roughly March through June. Spring is when warm, wet gulf air slides in under cold air high above. That clash builds tall storms, and tall storms make hail. Garland County sits near the edge of hail alley, so we see this pattern most years.
Here is the rough shape of a typical year.
| Time of year | Hail risk | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| March–April | Rising | Clear gutters, book a check |
| May–June | Highest | Inspect after each storm |
| July–September | Low | Fix what spring found |
| October–February | Low | Plan next year’s work |
What does hail actually do to your roof?
Hail knocks the granules off your shingles. Those granules are the shield that keeps sunlight off the asphalt underneath. Strip them away and the shingle dries out, cracks, and fails years early. The roof does not leak that day. It leaks later.
That delay is what fools people. Your roof looks fine, so you move on.
Then two summers of Arkansas heat cook the bare spots. Now you have a leak, and the storm that caused it is long past.
Metal reacts differently. Hail dents a panel, but a dent rarely leaks. Read about metal roofing if you want a roof that ignores this.
Size matters more than the number of stones. Pea-sized hail on a healthy roof usually does nothing. Golf ball hail bruises shingles across a whole slope in one pass. Wind direction matters too, because a slope facing the storm takes far more than the sheltered side.
How do you spot hail damage from the ground?
Look at your gutters and your soft metal. Piles of granules in the gutters mean your shingles took a beating. Dents in vents, downspouts, and flashing tell you the hail was big enough to matter. You cannot judge the shingles themselves from below.
Check these spots after a storm:
- Gutters and downspouts. Granule piles and fresh dents.
- Vents and flashing. Soft metal bruises first.
- Your car and your mailbox. If they took dents, so did the roof.
- Ceilings inside. Any new stain is worth a call.
What should you do right after a hailstorm?
Get the roof inspected within a few days. Take photos of anything you can see safely from the ground first, and note the date of the storm. Then have someone look at the roof itself. Do not climb up. That is how people get hurt.
Stay off the roof even if you feel fine on a ladder. Storm debris and loose granules make a roof slick.
Be careful who you let up there. Big storms pull in crews from out of state who knock doors for a week and leave. Ask any roofer for their Arkansas license number and a local address before they touch your house.
If water is already coming in, we tarp same day. See storm damage repair and roof leak repair.
Should you file an insurance claim?
File only when there is real damage. Your policy may cover a hail-damaged roof, but coverage and deductibles vary, and we cannot promise what your adjuster decides. Get an honest inspection first so you know what you are filing about.
We inspect for free and document everything with photos. We meet your adjuster on the roof and walk them through what we found.
We do not pressure anybody to file. If your roof is fine, we tell you it is fine and go home.
How do you get ready before spring?
Clear your gutters and get a check in late winter. A roof that is already weak takes hail worse than a healthy one. Small problems found in February are cheap. The same problems found in May, mid-storm, are not.
Debris matters more than people think, especially under the tree cover around Lake Hamilton and Lake Ouachita. Packed valleys hold water. Clean gutters move it away.
We work throughout Hot Springs and Garland County. Learn more about hail damage repair and roof repair.
Who should look at your roof?
Our own crews. We are at 209 Albert Pike in Hot Springs, licensed in Arkansas under RR0540931024. Over 20 years here, more than 500 projects, and 20 trained people on staff. We have handled hundreds of storm claims across Garland County.
Storm season coming or already through? Contact us or call 501-359-5550 for a free inspection and estimate. We answer seven days a week, 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
Frequently asked questions
When is hail season in Arkansas?
Hail season in Arkansas runs roughly March through June. Spring is when warm gulf air meets cold air aloft, and that mix builds the tall storms that make hail. Garland County sees the same pattern most years. April and May are usually the busiest weeks for us.
How does hail damage a shingle roof?
Hail knocks the granules off your shingles. Those granules are the shield that protects the asphalt from sunlight. Once they are gone, the exposed shingle dries out, cracks, and fails years early. The bruise often looks minor from the ground while the damage underneath is real.
Can I see hail damage from the ground?
Sometimes, but not reliably. Check your gutters for piles of granules, and look at soft metal like vents, flashing, and downspouts for dents. Roof damage itself is hard to judge from below. A close look on the roof is the only way to know for sure.
Should I file an insurance claim after hail?
File only if there is real damage, so get the roof looked at first. Your policy may cover a hail-damaged roof, but coverage and deductibles differ. We inspect for free, document what we find with photos, and meet your adjuster on site. We cannot promise what they decide.