When south central Colorado gets one of their famous quick change storms blowing off the mountains, we can get hail.  Some of our hail can be fairly good sized, and everyone knows to check vehicles afterward for damage. You also need to check your roof and siding on your home or business. If you have hail damage to a roof and you have aluminum or vinyl siding, in particular, the chances are there is damage to it as well. Hail damage for insurance claims usually needs to be reported for the same event at the same time to be covered.

Wind and hail can wreak havoc on siding.  Aluminum siding can easily dent, but vinyl siding tends to get anything from cracks and pinholes to large breaks and holes punched through a panel. The challenge with vinyl siding is that it is often hard to spot damage unless there are substantial holes, so careful inspection done at different times of day in different light can help spot problems. The most important problem, though, is that water can intrude inside and behind breached siding, leading to much more serious structural issues for your home.  If the siding does not get repaired immediately, and you have subsequent damage, it is very possible your insurance company will not cover the additional damage due to not taking action to protect the insured property. It is always a good idea after a hailstorm or wind event of any kind to carefully walk your home to inspect for damage, or to see if siding panels have shifted out of place. Immediate repair needs to be completed to avoid further problems.