After a storm, make everyone safe first, then protect the house, photograph the damage from the ground, call a roofer if water is entering, and contact your insurer. Wind lifts, creases and strips shingles; hail bruises them in ways that are hard to see from below. Do not sign anything at the door, and do not climb up.
Key takeaways
- NWS Chicago counted more than 160 damaging wind reports and confirmed tornadoes in the 10 August 2020 derecho, and logged damaging wind across northwest Cook County on 13 March 2026, so strong wind is a recurring feature of this region.
- Wind damage shows as missing, lifted or creased shingles and loose ridge caps; hail damage shows as bruises, bare spots and dented soft metal, and can sit unseen on a roof that looks fine from the street.
- Safety comes first, then stopping water, then documentation, then calls: 911 or the utility for lines down, a roofer for temporary cover if the roof is open, and the insurer for the claim.
- Temporary cover and permanent repair are different jobs on different timelines; a tarp limits damage tonight, and the repair needs a written scope, dry material and often a permit.
- Whether insurance pays is decided by your policy and your insurer; photographs, dated notes and receipts help, and no one at your door can promise an outcome.
What have storms actually done to roofs in this area?
The record shows damaging wind more clearly than hail. NWS Chicago documented more than 160 damaging wind reports and confirmed tornadoes on 10 August 2020, and downed trees and lines across northwest Cook County on 13 March 2026. Hail reports exist too, but they are unofficial and do not support calling any town hail-prone.
The 10 August 2020 derecho produced a peak gust of 85 mph in Lincoln Square, according to NWS Chicago, and its suburban damage was clearest in Lombard, Villa Park and Wheaton. It is not a basis for saying the northwest suburbs fared worst; it is evidence of how severe a straight-line wind event can be in this region.
The March 2026 event brought downed trees and power lines to Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg, Streamwood, Arlington Heights and Mount Prospect. Unofficial spotter logs record quarter-size hail near Schaumburg on 23 August 2020, and larger stones near Palatine. NWS warnings note that wind and quarter-size hail can damage roofs, which is the useful point: damage is possible at those sizes, and the only way to know is to look.
What does wind damage look like?
Wind damage shows as shingles missing or lying in the yard, tabs lifted or flapping, a crease across the tab at the nail line, loose ridge caps, bare strips of underlayment and bent flashing or vent caps. The edges, ridge and corners are hit first. A roof can lose its seal without losing a shingle.
Look from the ground, starting at the ridge line and working to the eaves, and check the yard and gutters for pieces. The page on wind damage shingle repair explains how roofers separate a spot repair from a slope replacement.
Limbs add a second kind of damage. A branch can crack the decking, tear underlayment and bend flashing in one hit, and the damage underneath may be larger than the visible hole. Keep people off the roof and away from the area until a roofer has looked.
What does hail damage look like, and why is it hard to see?
Hail leaves round bruises where granules are knocked off or the asphalt mat is fractured, and dents in gutters, vents and other soft metal. From the ground the bruises are nearly invisible. The reliable signs are dents in soft metal, granules in the downspouts and damage to screens, siding or a car from the same storm.
A bruise weakens the shingle, which wears faster and can leak weeks or months later. That delay is why an inspection soon after a storm is worth having even when nothing looks wrong, and why photographs from the day matter if an insurer asks when the damage occurred.
The hail damage service page describes how roofers count hits on a marked test area and decide between repair and replacement.
| Type | What you see | Where to look | What to photograph |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wind | Missing or lifted shingles, creased tabs, loose ridge cap | Ridge, rakes, eaves, corners, yard | Each bare area, the ridge line, shingles in the yard |
| Hail | Bruises and bare spots, dented soft metal, granules in gutters | Vents, gutters, downspouts, flashing, roof slopes | Dents with a coin for scale, downspout granules, damaged siding |
| Falling limbs | Cracked boards, torn underlayment, bent flashing | Where the limb landed, attic underside | The limb in place, the attic ceiling, any water |
| Water entry | Ceiling stains, dripping, damp insulation | Upstairs ceilings, attic, around chimneys | Stains with dates, wet insulation, containers collecting water |
In what order should I make the calls?
First, safety: call 911 or the utility for downed lines, fire or injury. Second, stop water entering the house. Third, photograph. Fourth, call a roofer, saying whether water is entering. Fifth, tell your insurer. Sixth, wait for a written scope before signing anything. The order keeps people safe and the record clean.
Notice that the roofer call comes before the insurance call only when water is entering. If the damage is cosmetic, call your insurer and a roofer in whichever order suits you, and ask the insurer what it requires before repairs begin, apart from emergency cover.
You can reach a roofer at any hour on (833) 751-2102, which is answered around the clock and passes your call to an independent local roofer. The roofer sets the visit time, and the line cannot promise an arrival window.
- Make everyone safe; call 911 or the utility for lines down or injuries
- Contain water inside; keep away from wet fixtures and outlets
- Photograph the roof from the ground, the attic, ceilings and damaged items
- Call a roofer and say whether water is entering
- Report the loss to your insurer and ask what it requires
- Keep receipts for emergency cover and repairs
- Compare a written scope before signing any contract
What is the difference between a tarp and a repair?
A tarp, or temporary cover, is a quick, short-term barrier over damage to keep water out until a repair can be done. A repair restores the roof with proper materials under a written scope and sometimes a permit. They run on different timelines, and a tarp left through a season causes problems of its own.
Cover is about tonight. It is placed as fast as a roofer is free, with fasteners that do not need dry weather. The permanent repair needs a dry deck, matching materials and often a day or two of work, so it follows later.
A full replacement is a separate matter again. If the inspection shows widespread damage, the roofer writes a scope and the village permit process begins; the roof replacement page describes that. Do not let urgency about the tarp rush a decision about the replacement.
What happens when the roofer comes to inspect?
The roofer walks or views each slope, checks ridges, edges, vents and flashing, looks at gutters and soft metal for hail dents, and goes into the attic to see the underside of the deck. You should receive photographs and a written scope that separates what is urgent from what can wait, in plain language.
Ask to be shown what the roofer finds, either on a phone screen or in photographs taken that day. A roofer who cannot show you the damage they are proposing to fix has not earned your trust yet. If two roofers give different answers, ask each to point out the evidence.
The scope should state which parts of the roof are being repaired, which are being replaced, what the roofer expects to find under the surface and how any extra will be priced. It should also say whether the roofer has seen anything that the insurer is likely to ask about, so that the claim and the repair tell the same story.
Wind-driven rain may have reached the attic without staining the ceiling yet. Tell the roofer if you have noticed a smell, a damp patch in the insulation or a light fixture that flickered in the storm.
How should I deal with insurance and with people at the door?
Read your policy, report the damage promptly, ask what documentation is required, and keep every receipt. Be cautious of anyone who knocks after a storm and asks you to sign a contract or assign your claim on the spot. No roofer and no call line can promise that an insurer will pay.
A roofer can provide photographs, a measured diagram and a written scope, and may meet the adjuster on the roof. The claim itself is between you and your insurer, and the decision is the insurer's.
Verify any roofer's Illinois license before you sign, as the license guide explains. After a large storm, crews from outside the area arrive quickly; some are excellent, and the license look-up is how you tell them from the ones who are not registered.
How soon should I act, and what if the roof looks fine?
Soon. Policies often set deadlines for reporting a loss, bruised shingles keep losing granules, and weathering blurs the marks. If the roof looks fine but a storm with damaging wind or quarter-size hail passed over, book a written inspection. A report that finds nothing is useful too, because it records the condition on that date.
There is no need to hurry into a contract. An inspection can come first, and the repair decision can follow. The roof inspection page describes the written report to ask for.
Keep your own record as well: the storm date, what the weather did, and photographs of anything you could see from the ground. Even a rough set of notes made on the day is more convincing than a recollection months later.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Chicago suburbs area prone to hail?
This guide does not rank any town. NWS warnings say quarter-size hail can damage roofs, and unofficial spotter logs record hail of that size near Schaumburg and Palatine. That is a reason to inspect after a storm, not a prediction.
Should I climb up to check for damage?
No. Storm-damaged roofs are slippery and may be weaker than they look. Use binoculars from the yard, photograph what you see, and have a roofer inspect.
Do I need a permit for storm repairs?
A small repair may not, while a large replacement usually does. Schaumburg requires a permit for residential reroofing. Ask the building department about your address.
Who removes a fallen tree from my roof?
A tree service usually removes the tree, and a roofer deals with the roof. Keep people away until the limb is secured, and do not try to pull it off yourself.
Can the roofer tell my insurer what to pay?
No. The roofer can document the damage and write a scope. The insurer decides the claim under your policy.
Sources
This guide is general information for Cook County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.