Roof Damaged by Hail in San Antonio

Roof Damaged by Hail in San Antonio?  Hail stones can damage your home’s roof as well as other personal property you may have. Hail storms can be extremely destructive and the amount of damage caused by hail can vary greatly from one area to the next. For example, homes located side by side can be affected completely differently during the same hail storm. One home’s roof may require a total roof replacement while the home right next to it may only require a few shingles to be replaced. Several factors affect the type of damage and severity of damage caused by a hail storm. First, the changes in wind can affect the severity and the location of hail stone impacts. The shape and size of the actual hail stones is another factor that can affect the degree of hail damage. A pea sized hailstone obviously causes a smaller amount of damage than a hail stone the size of a baseball. Additionally, some hailstones are not smooth but rigid. Rigid misshaped hailstones cause much more damage to roofs and other personal property than smooth and round stones. Another factor that affects the severity of hail stone damage is the type of building materials used on a home’s structure. For example, hail will cause severe dings and dents to aluminum siding and gutters. Additionally, hail stones will ding and dent asphalt shingles but cause cracks to vinyl siding and wood shingles. Golf ball and baseball sized hail stones will actually puncture roofs and siding. Another factor to consider when determining the severity of hail damage is the age of a roof and other building materials on a structure. Typically, older building materials are more vulnerable to hail damage. Barriers around a home also affect the severity of hail storm damage. The position of neighboring structures and natural barriers, like tree coverings, landscaping, fences or adjacent homes can affect the amount of hail stone damage because stones can reflect and bounce off barriers softening the blow to your home.

Shingles can react differently when struck by hail. For example, hail damage to asphalt and composition shingles can look very different than hail damage to wood shingles. Typical hail damage to asphalt and composition shingles is random damage with no discernable pattern. Hail hits on asphalt and composition shingles tend to be black in color, you will see loss of granules on the asphalt shingles, the asphalt shingles will appear shiny, you will see exposed roof felt, and the hail hits may feel soft to the touch like a bruised piece of fruit. Hail hits on wood shingles on the other hand tend to split the shingle with brown or orange discoloration on the wood. The split wood tends to have sharp corners and edges when split by hail. The split wood tends to have very little deterioration at the edges and the splits tend to have marks or dents along the split.

There are other types of damage to shingles that can be mistaken for hail damage. For example, exposure to inclement weather and sunlight makes shingles brittle and gives them an aged appearance. This type of damage is normal wear and tear of shingles, which is sometimes misidentified as hail damage. Other types of normal wear and tear may include blistering, cracking, granule loss, flaking and algae. Manufacturing defects and mechanical imperfections in shingles can also be mistaken for hail damage.

If you believe you have a Roof Damaged by Hail in San Antonio and if your insurance company tries to delay, deny, or underpay your hail claim, contact us today. We have experience dealing with insurance companies, and know the games they play. Many times an insurance company knows that a homeowner may give up and accept a lowball offer.  If you don’t want the hassle of dealing with the insurance company yourself, we will be happy to do that work for you.

Feel free to call us at 1-888-724-HAIL.

Hailstorms Are Most Common in Spring

Hailstorms Are Most Common in Spring because cold air from the Northern United States clashes with humid and warm air from the Gulf of Mexico. This clash of air masses sets the stage for severe weather such as thunderstorms over parts of the central and southern portions of the United States. Storms that result from this air mass collision can contain tornadoes but most commonly large hail is often associated with these thunderstorms in the spring time. William Clark, an AccuWeather Storm Warning Meteorologist has stated that “The main reasons that hail occurs with the greatest frequency during the spring is that the jet stream and energy higher up in the atmosphere is still rather strong as compared to the summer months.”

Hail stones tend to develop because air rises in a thunderstorm, often called an updraft. The air that rises has water droplets in it and the droplets freeze in the below freezing temperatures up in the air’s atmosphere. As the droplets get larger and heavier, they fall to earth. The stronger the updraft, the larger the hail stones become. In the spring time verses the summer, the freezing levels in the clouds are much lower, causing the hail to more easily reach the earth’s surface. This is because the hail stones have a shorter distance to travel in the air before hitting the ground and it is less likely the hail will melt in the air before they make landfall. The freezing layer in the atmosphere is lower in the High Plains and Mountain West regions of the United States, this is why more hail stones fall in this area of the United States than in any other area. South Central United States (including San Antonio, Texas) sees more hail than anywhere else because the hail making ingredients are ideal during the Spring. Hail in this region has the tendency to grow as large as baseballs and can cause significant damage to homes and roofs leading to millions of dollars in damage in just a few minutes. It is noteworthy that in 2016, a hailstorm in San Antonio, Texas led to an estimated one billion dollars of damage to home and vehicle owners.

During the spring, hail storms are also common in the western United States such as California. Hail stones that are associated with thunderstorms on the West Coast typically are smaller and range from pea to quarter size hail. The quantity of hail can still be destructive. In February of 2018, Sacramento, California was hit with several inches of pea sized hail that covered roads and highways disrupting traffic for hours.

Although Hailstorms Are Most Common in Spring, autumn is the second most common time of the year to have hailstorms occur. Autumn is also hail season because air high in the atmosphere cools down again and heat and moisture at the earth’s surface is still quite high. These are good ingredients for producing hail and this tends to occur in parts of the Midwestern and Eastern United States.

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MOST FREQUENT QUESTIONS ASKED TO OUR SAN ANTONIO HAIL ATTORNEYS

Our experienced San Antonio Hail Attorneys have compiled a list of the MOST FREQUENT QUESTIONS ASKED TO OUR SAN ANTONIO HAIL ATTORNEYS regarding the hail storm claim process.

Question: I purchased my home insurance through an insurance agent. Will the insurance agent look out for my best interest in the hail claim process?

The short answer is NO. This is one of the MOST FREQUENT QUESTIONS ASKED TO OUR SAN ANTONIO HAIL ATTORNEYS. Your insurance agent looks out for the best interest of the insurance company. Do not count on your insurance agent to look out for your best interest. The insurance agent has the company’s best interest, specifically the bottom line at heart. Additionally, the insurance adjuster who usually comes to your home following a hail storm to assess the damage and come up with a repair estimate is paid by the insurance company and they usually underestimate and low ball the actual damage estimate to save the company that signs their paycheck money. However, an attorney you hire and the experts that they hire will be there working for you, loyal to you. It is preferable to have professionals who represent you, working for you, as opposed to hoping that adjusters or agents that work for the insurance company do the right thing by you.

Question: What are some of the things to look out for when hiring a roofing contractor to help make repairs to my home?

This is another one of the MOST FREQUENT QUESTIONS ASKED TO OUR SAN ANTONIO HAIL ATTORNEYS. Unfortunately, when hail storms strike the San Antonio and surrounding areas, roofing contractors pop up all over the place. You will get bombarded with emails, mail flyers, commercials and even door to door salesmen. Be extremely cautious of these contractors. Many are scam artists. Perform your research before you hire any roofing contractor. Ask for job referrals, Google them and determine if they have been in business for several years at least. It is a good idea to even contact the Better Business Bureau before you sign any agreement for work to be performed to determine if they have a positive rating and good reviews.

MOST FREQUENT QUESTIONS ASKED TO OUR SAN ANTONIO HAIL ATTORNEYS
MOST FREQUENT QUESTIONS ASKED TO OUR SAN ANTONIO HAIL ATTORNEYS

A legitimate roofing contractor should provide a free inspection and provide a bid in writing that itemizes all the proposed work that is necessary. They should also provide photographs of the damage prior to the work being performed. Also, the roofing contractor should be willing to meet with your insurance adjuster and provide the adjuster with details regarding the necessary recommended repairs. The roofing contractor that you choose should be insured and bonded and they should be able to provide you with proof of insurance. Make sure that you are not a victim of predator roofing contractors. Contact one of our experienced hail attorneys today for free advice and consultation.

Question: My home’s roof was damaged in a recent San Antonio hailstorm and I was wondering if I can start making repairs before any further damage occurs?

The typical home insurance policy requires you to mitigate your damages. This is a fancy way to say you are suppose to take minimal measures to prevent additional damage to your home after it has been damaged in a hail storm. A good example is if your roof has gaping holes or missing shingles due to large hail stones and water is leaking inside your home, next place a tarp or some other barrier like plywood over the holes to prevent additional water damage. It is also a good idea to keep any receipts of purchases you make when mitigating your damages so that you can provide those to your insurance carrier for reimbursement. The same advice applies to when you hire a contractor to make repairs, keep those invoices and receipts for your file. Also, always take pictures and/or video of all the damage before any repairs have been made so that you can provide those to your insurance company.

Question: Can I file a hailstorm claim with my home insurance company?

This is another one of the MOST FREQUENT QUESTIONS ASKED TO OUR SAN ANTONIO HAIL ATTORNEYS and the answer is Yes! You should file a hail claim with your home insurance company as soon as possible after a hail storm. Call you insurance company and request an inspection as soon as possible and notify them you will be making a hail claim. Get the hail claim process rolling as soon as you can without any delay so that the insurance company cannot make any excuses not to pay you. If you believe that your insurance company is operating under bad faith and delaying paying your claim or low balling you with an offer that does not even come close to the amount of money needed to repair your home, contact me, an experienced San Antonio hail claim attorney immediately for help.

Hail Claim Tips for Homeowners

If you’ve had to deal with an insurance company before, you know how difficult they can be. An insurance company is a business just like any other. Their goal is to maximize their profits. One way to maximize profits is to pay as little as possible towards hail claims. This article will give some hail claim tips for homeowners so that  your insurance company does not take unfair advantage of you.

Hail Claim Tips for Homeowners

Hail Claim Tips for Homeowners #1: Know what your Insurance Policy Covers

Your insurance policy will let you know exactly what is covered. In addition to the policy, a page called the “declarations page” will tell you what your policy limit amounts are and what coverage you purchased.

Your policy may provide for the full replacement cost of your roof. Other policies may consider the age and condition of your roof at the time of the hailstorm damage. If your roof is over 10 years old, your policy might only provide the depreciated value of the roof. The depreciated value of the roof takes into account the age, condition, and any prior roof damage.

Hail Claim Tips for Homeowners #2: Document your hail insurance claim

Hail Claim Tips for Homeowners
Hail Claim Tips for Homeowners

Now that you know what your policy covers, it is important to document the damage. If hail has damaged  your roof, take plenty of photos showing the damage. In addition to your roof, take photos of your fence and any other damaged structures as well. Some homeowners do not realize that more than just your roof can be damaged by hail.

In addition to photos, make sure to save any estimates, receipts, or bills you pay related to your roof damage. If it becomes necessary to hire an attorney to help with  your homeowners hail damage claim, you will need these documents in order to get the maximum value of your claim.

Hail Claim Tips for Homeowners #3: Contact an experienced hail claim attorney

If your insurance company tries to delay, deny, or underpay your hail claim, contact us today. We have experience dealing with insurance companies, and know the games they play. Many times an insurance company knows that a homeowner may give up and accept a lowball offer.  If you don’t want the hassle of dealing with the insurance company yourself, we will be happy to do that work for you.

Feel free to call us at 1-888-724-HAIL.

Fewer Hailstorms But Bigger Hail Predicted

Fewer Hailstorms But Bigger Hail Predicted

In a CNN article written by Judson Jones in June of 2017, he reported that although climate change caused by humans would bring fewer hailstorms in the coming years, the hail stones would likely be much bigger and more destructive. So, climate change means Fewer Hailstorms But Bigger Hail.

More specifically the article stated that a new study says that climate change is likely to reduce the number of hailstorms across North America in the coming years, but don’t get rid of your insurance policy. You will probably still need a new roof due to hail damage, as the research suggests the storms that do come will be more destructive and damaging.  Fewer Hailstorms But Bigger Hail Predicted.

According to a study, published in June of 2017 in the journal called Nature Climate Change, human-induced climate change is likely to decrease the number of hailstorms while increasing the size of hail in the storms that do form. The report is quoted as saying,

“As the planet warms, we are finding that we’re having fewer rainfall events, but when it does rain, it tends to be heavier. And that seems to be what — at least what our work is suggesting — it could be what’s happening with the hail as well,” said Julian Brimelow, a researcher with Environment and Climate Change Canada, a government department, and a co-author of the study.

The research team used computer modeling simulations of hail growth to discover how hailstone growth will change in the next few years. The research team ran models for the years 1971-2000 and 2041-2070 and then compared the data. “This is not a calculation you could do on the back of an envelope,” Brimelow said. It took about six months to run the calculations for a 50-kilometer resolution model that includes most of North America, run for four time periods a day for the 30-year intervals, past and future.

“At the end of the day, we generated about a billion profiles,” he said.

Though the researchers weren’t surprised there would be less hail in the future, they were surprised it would be more damaging, he said.

According to the study, “Drier and cooler regions are predicted to experience the largest increase in hail threat,” such as the Northern Plains, whereas warm and moist areas like the Southeast are likely to see a decreased threat.

The greatest impact was found to be areas already hail-prone, like the High Plains, increasing both hail frequency and size over spring and summer.

In the past several years, billion-dollar hail events have been on the rise. There have been at least three billion-dollar hailstorms in the last two years, including one in just the past few months.

On May 8, one hailstorm in Denver, Colorado caused an estimated $1.4 billion in damage, mostly to vehicles stuck in traffic.

One could therefore expect that the amount of property damage will increase along with hail disasters.

But this all depends on where the hail falls, said Julie Rochman, president and chief executive officer of the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety. A hailstorm in an empty field won’t cost anyone anything, but one in a city definitely will.

The institute is also doing its own hail research focused on what causes different types and sizes of hail, as well as hailstone softness and materials that can better withstand hail damage.

The new study will help add to the understanding of the types of environments that create different “flavors” of hailstorms, Rochman said.  Fewer Hailstorms But Bigger Hail Predicted.

“It’s an exciting time for hail research,” Rochman said. “A lot of bright minds are looking into how hail will change in the future.”  Fewer Hailstorms But Bigger Hail Predicted.

The institute’s meteorologists were enthused by the new study, she said. In the world of climate change, she said, hail hasn’t gotten a lot of attention.

Brimelow agrees that “virtually nothing” has been done in this space.

More research is being done in Europe, where hail impacts more people due to greater population density. In North America, hail research has mostly given way to the study of tornadoes since the 1980s.

Brimelow says the researchers will be happy to share their code with anyone who wants to run it for other parts of the world.

“We are just hoping this study spurs some interest,” he said.

When you see or even suspect your roof is damaged by hail, call a roofing professional right away. The worst thing you can do is delay and wait days to contact help for your home’s roof. Hail Roof damage is not always obvious or visible from the ground. Certainly if your roof is leaking or you see missing tiles, shingles, slate or panels, an inspection is needed now. The best way to know for sure if your roof is damaged is to have a professional roofing technician carefully and thoroughly inspect your roof to detect hail storm damage and schedule a roofing repair so that additional damage does not occur to your home. Many insurance companies would love nothing more than to deny your home insurance claim due to your failure to mitigate damages. By you delaying to get the home’s roof inspected and repaired can be cause for an insurance denial.  Fewer Hailstorms But Bigger Hail Predicted.

Many times, an insurance company will offer you less than your hail damage claim is worth. We have experience dealing with insurance companies. If you need help to get the full value of your hail claim, please contact us today!