Had a call last July from a homeowner in Streetsville. A storm had rolled through the night before, nothing that made the news, just wind and a few minutes of hail. She didn't think much of it. Three weeks later there was a water stain the size of a dinner plate on her son's bedroom ceiling. By the time we got up there, the damage had already spread into the insulation.
That's roughly how it goes with wind and hail. Mississauga doesn't get hurricanes. It doesn't need them. Twenty minutes of the wrong kind of weather can do more damage than five years of normal wear, and half the time nobody notices until it's already inside the house.
So here's what to actually check after a storm, and how the insurance part usually plays out.
Don't Climb Up There Right Away
First thing, skip the roof itself for now, especially if shingles are still wet or it's windy out. Grab binoculars and walk around the outside of the house instead.
You're looking for shingles that are obviously missing, sure, but also ones that are curling or cracked at the corners. Wind doesn't always tear a shingle clean off. Sometimes it just breaks the seal underneath, and the shingle looks perfectly normal until the next rain finds the gap. Hail leaves a different mark entirely, small dark bruises where the granules got knocked loose. Those are genuinely hard to see from the ground. Most people miss them completely until a roofer's standing right next to them pointing it out.
Check your gutters while you're at it. Granules sitting in the bottom of the eavestrough after a hailstorm is a pretty strong hint that the shingles above took a hit.
The Attic Tells You More Than the Roof Does
Honestly, this step matters more than the ground-level check, and almost nobody does it.
Wait a day or two after the storm, then head up with a flashlight. Look along the underside of the deck for anything dark or damp. Fresh water marks are usually darker than the wood around them, and they tend to follow a rafter line or show up near a vent or chimney, spots where flashing shifts during high wind.
If you're not sure what an actual leak looks like versus an old, dried-out stain, we go through the difference in our guide on common causes of roof leaks. Worth a read while you're already up there checking.
Wind and Hail Don't Damage the Same Way
Wind usually goes for the edges; ridge caps, the shingles right at the roofline, anything near a vent where there's already a seam. Hail's messier. Sometimes it dents an entire slope evenly, sometimes it just hammers one section depending on which way the wind was blowing that day. That's part of why a slow, methodical look beats a quick glance from the driveway.
And it doesn't always show up fast. A shingle that lost its seal in June might not leak until a heavy September rain finally works its way through. Storm damage is rarely the clean "before and after" people expect.
The Insurance Part
This is usually the part that actually stresses people out, more than the roof itself.
Photograph everything before anyone touches it. Shingles, attic, gutters; adjusters want to see the damage the way it looked right after the storm, not after it's already been patched up. Write down the date of the storm too. Some policies have a filing window and it matters more than people think.
It also helps to get a roofer's eyes on the damage before you even file, so you're not relying entirely on the adjuster's read of the situation. We deal with this often enough that we usually help with the documentation and inspection reports that go along with a claim; there's more on that in our emergency roof repair service, since storm damage is exactly the kind of thing that quietly gets worse while you wait.
If Something Looks Off, Get It Checked
Missing shingles, hail bruising, granules piling up, a damp patch in the attic; any of that is worth a second opinion before you decide it's nothing or file a claim on your own. We've been doing roofing in Mississauga since 1998, and storm calls are a big chunk of that work. We'll also do a proper roof inspection and put together documentation that actually holds up with your insurance company, which makes the whole process a lot less painful than trying to sort it out on your own.
Get Your Free Roof Estimate
Ready to protect your home? Ontario Tech Roofing has served homeowners across the GTA since 1998. Book your free estimate or call us at 905-616-4408.