Last night a severe thunderstorm watch covered Cleveland, Akron, Canton, Youngstown, Boardman, Canfield, and the surrounding Northeast Ohio counties. Wind gusts, small hail, and heavy rain came through the same corridor that runs from Ashtabula along the lake down through Lake, Cuyahoga, Summit, and into the Mahoning Valley. Youngstown picked up its own severe thunderstorm watch the same evening.
If you're reading this the morning after, walk your property, photograph what you see, and stay off the roof. Wet shingles are slick and storm damage isn't always obvious from below. Here's the checklist I walk every homeowner through.
The 5-Point Storm Damage Checklist
1. Shingles on the ground or in your yard
Walk the perimeter of your house. If you find granule-covered asphalt pieces, full shingles, or shingle corners on the ground, you almost certainly have missing or lifted shingles up top. Even one missing shingle exposes the underlayment and starts a leak clock.
2. Granules in the gutters and downspout splash zones
Look at the splash zones at the base of your downspouts. Heavy black sandy granules on the concrete or in mulch beds mean shingles took a hail or wind beating. A few granules after every rain is normal. A noticeable layer after a single storm is not.
3. Dents on gutters, downspouts, gutter aprons, or AC fins
Hail damage shows up on soft metal long before it shows up on shingles. Take a quick look at:
- Gutters, round dents on the top edge of an aluminum gutter are a hail tell
- Downspouts, dents anywhere on the round or rectangular tubes
- AC condenser fins on top of the outdoor unit, bent fins or dimples
- Window screens, small punctures or pushed-in spots
If any of these are dented, your roof likely took the same hits.
4. Window sills, siding, and painted surfaces
Hail strikes leave round, dime-to-quarter-sized marks on painted wood, vinyl siding, and trim. Walk all four sides of the house. South and west exposures usually take the worst of Northeast Ohio storms because that's the direction most of our weather comes from.
5. Ceiling and attic check (inside)
Within 24-48 hours of a storm, check the ceilings of every top-floor room and any spot directly under a roof line. Look for:
- Yellow or brown rings (active or dried leaks)
- Soft spots or sagging drywall
- Musty smell
If you have attic access, look up the underside of the roof deck with a flashlight. Wet streaks, fresh water stains, or daylight through any board are red flags. Call a roofer the same day.
What to Do Before You Call Your Insurance Company
Insurance carriers reward documentation. Here's the order we recommend:
- Photograph everything with date stamps. Smartphone camera apps already include date metadata. Take wide shots and close-ups of every dent, missing shingle, or stain.
- Note the storm date. May 9, 2026. Write it down. Adjusters ask for the date of loss on every claim.
- Don't make permanent repairs yet. Tarp-overs to stop active leaks are fine and reimbursable. Replacing a section of shingles before the adjuster sees the damage can hurt your claim.
- Get an inspection from a local roofer first. A local contractor should tell you straight whether you have a claim, and most will meet your adjuster on-site.
- Then call your insurance carrier. With documentation and a roofer's preliminary assessment in hand, the conversation goes much faster.
How Long Do You Have to File a Roof Claim in Ohio?
Most Ohio homeowners insurance policies require you to give the carrier "prompt notice" of a loss. Policies set their own deadlines, and some require faster reporting on storm-related claims, so report storm damage as soon as you find it. Check your policy under the "Duties After a Loss" section.
The longer you wait, the harder it is to prove the damage came from the May 9 storm and not normal wear. We've seen clean claims get denied just because the homeowner waited four months to call.
How Does Insurance Treat Wind Damage vs. Hail Damage?
Carriers handle the two differently:
- Wind damage is usually localized, a single ridge, one section of shingles, one valley. Coverage is straightforward.
- Hail damage affects every roof slope facing the storm direction and shows up as bruising on the shingle mat. Carriers will sometimes try to treat hail as "cosmetic" if it doesn't pierce the shingle. Push back. Bruised shingles fail early, and that is a covered loss in Ohio.
A trained roofer can tell the difference in a 20-minute inspection and will mark up your roof with chalk to show the adjuster what counts.
Storm Inspections This Week in Northeast Ohio
Rockstar Roofing LLC, based in Ashtabula, Ohio, is running storm damage inspections through next week in every county we serve: Ashtabula, Lake, Geauga, Cuyahoga, Summit, and Mahoning. If there's damage, I'll document it, give you a preliminary scope, and meet your adjuster on-site. If there isn't damage, I'll tell you that too.
I personally handle storm response calls. If you call (440) 645-2003 this week, you're getting me on the phone, not a call center, not a junior rep. We're scheduling inspections in the order calls come in, working through the storm corridor as fast as the schedule allows.
What Does Hidden Storm Damage Look Like?
Severe storm damage doesn't always look like a tree through the roof. The expensive kind usually looks like a sprinkling of granules in your gutters and a few small dents you'd miss unless you knew to look. Left alone, that damage leads to slow leaks, attic mold, and a roof that fails 8 years early.
If you live anywhere in the May 9, 2026 storm corridor and your roof is more than 5 years old, get it looked at this week. Dated documentation protects your insurance claim, and the filing window is shorter than most people think.
Call (440) 645-2003 or request a free estimate online. We'll get to you fast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I climb on my roof to check for storm damage?
No. Wet shingles are slick after a storm. Walk the perimeter, check the gutters and downspout splash zones, and look at your top-floor ceilings and attic from inside.
How long do I have to report May 9 storm damage to my insurer in Ohio?
Most Ohio policies require prompt notice of a loss, which in practice means 30-60 days for most carriers. Some carriers require faster reporting on storm claims. Check the Duties After a Loss section of your policy.
Can I fix storm damage before the adjuster comes out?
A tarp-over to stop an active leak is fine and reimbursable. Do not replace a section of shingles before the adjuster sees the damage, because that can hurt your claim.
How can I tell if my roof was hit by hail?
Check soft metal first, because hail marks it long before it marks shingles. Round dents on the top edge of aluminum gutters, dented downspouts, bent AC condenser fins and punctured window screens are all hail tells. If those are dented, your roof likely took the same hits.
Is hail damage covered if it doesn't break the shingle?
Carriers sometimes try to call that kind of hail damage cosmetic. Bruised shingles fail early, and that is a covered loss in Ohio, so push back. A trained roofer can mark the bruising with chalk to show the adjuster what counts.
About the Author
Mike Ende, Founder, Rockstar Roofing LLC
Mike Ende has 9+ years of Northeast Ohio roofing experience and founded Rockstar Roofing LLC in 2024. He is an Owens Corning Duration installer, BBB A-rated, fully insured, and personally answers the phone at (440) 645-2003. Based in Ashtabula, OH, Mike serves homeowners across Ashtabula, Lake, Geauga, Cuyahoga, Summit, Mahoning, and Stark counties.
Read Mike’s full story →This article was last reviewed and updated on November 7, 2026.