The storm has passed. You're looking at your yard, and you see shingles on the grass, dents in your car hood, and the distinctive pock marks in your deck railing. Your first instinct might be to panic, or to call the first roofer who shows up at your door.
The first 48–72 hours after a hailstorm are critical, and the decisions you make in this window will significantly affect your insurance outcome, your repair quality, and your protection from the contractors who flood your neighbourhood after every major storm.
At ALR, we've guided hundreds of Calgary homeowners through this process. After storms like the 2020, 2024, and July 2025 events, we've seen exactly what separates homeowners who get a fair outcome from those who end up in difficult situations. This guide covers exactly what to do, step by step.
Why Calgary Hailstorms Are Different
Alberta sits in 'Hailstorm Alley,' the geographic corridor where warm, moist air from the plains meets cold, dry air from the Rockies, creating conditions for severe hailstorms.
Calgary homeowners have lived through the 2020 storm ($1.4B in insured losses), the August 2024 storm ($3.25B, the costliest in Canadian history), and the July 2025 Stampede storm.
One in five Calgary homes sustained damage in 2024 alone. If you've just been through a hailstorm, you're not alone, and there's a proven process for handling it correctly.
Step 1: Document the Storm Event (Do This First)
The single most important thing you can do in the first hour after a hailstorm is establish the date and time of the storm event. Insurance policies have claim windows (often one to two years), but documenting the specific storm date protects you from any future dispute about when the damage occurred.
- Note the exact date and time of the storm
- Check Environment Canada's weather records. Storm events are logged and searchable by location
- Take photos and video of any visible damage: shingles on the ground, dented gutters, dented window caps, damaged siding, pockmarks in wooden decking or railings
- Photograph your vehicle if it sustained hail damage. This corroborates the storm event
- Note the approximate hailstone size (golf ball, loonie, etc.). This helps establish severity in your claim
Did you know? "I always advise homeowners to check their phones' photos for any images taken the day of or after the storm — timestamps matter. Also, if you have a Ring or security camera, save any storm footage immediately. Insurance adjusters take that kind of documentation seriously." — ALR Lead Installer
Step 2: Do a Safe Ground-Level Assessment
Do not get on your roof. Walking on hail-damaged shingles accelerates the damage and is genuinely dangerous. A meaningful assessment can be done from the ground:
What to look for from the ground:
- Shingles or shingle tabs on the ground or in your yard; direct evidence of wind or hail damage
- Granules washing out of downspouts or collecting at the base of your home; the protective coating is loosening
- Dents in aluminum soffit, fascia caps, or window head flashings; these dents are caused by the same force that damages shingles
- Dents in your air conditioning unit fins or vents; metal-to-metal tells the story
- Pockmarks in wooden decking, fence boards, or siding; wood records hailstone size and impact pattern
One thing many Calgary homeowners don't know: hail damage to shingles is often invisible from the ground. The fracturing of the fibreglass matting inside the shingle happens on impact but doesn't create visible holes.
That's why a professional inspection—on the roof, by a trained eye and hand—is always necessary after a significant storm. Don't let an adjuster or contractor do a drive-by assessment and call it done.
Step 3: Call a Reputable Local Roofing Contractor Before Calling Your Insurer
This sequence matters. Get a professional inspection before you file your insurance claim. A qualified contractor can identify damage that you'd miss, provide professional documentation to support the claim, and advise you on the full scope of loss, including soft metals, siding, and eavestrough damage that are legitimately part of the claim.
When you call us after a storm, we inspect the full exterior: roof, soft metals, eavestroughs, siding, and ventilation caps. We provide photographic documentation of every damage point. This documentation becomes your evidence when you sit down with your adjuster. Adjusters are generalists who handle all types of property claims, not roofing specialists. Having detailed, professional documentation ensures nothing gets missed.
Step 4: Be Aware of Storm Chasers
After every major hailstorm, door-to-door salespeople follow the damage corridors. Some represent legitimate companies. Many are 'storm chasers'—contractors who travel from storm to storm, sign up as many homeowners as possible, do quick work, and move on before problems surface.
After the 2024 Calgary hailstorm, the Better Business Bureau of Southern Alberta reported a significant surge in complaints about out-of-province contractors who arrived in Calgary, performed substandard work, and were unreachable by the time warranty issues arose. Some offered to 'waive the deductible', which is insurance fraud in Canada.
Red flags to watch for:
- Knocking on your door unsolicited after a storm
- Pressure to sign a contract on the spot ('this price is only good today')
- Offering to waive or cover your insurance deductible
- No verifiable local address, physical office, or local history
- Can't produce a WCB clearance letter and liability insurance certificate on the spot
- Quote that's dramatically lower than other contractors
Unfortunately, we’ve met several homeowners who've already been burned by a storm chaser by the time they call us. The stories are always the same: someone knocked after a storm, offered a great price, did poor work, and is now nowhere to be found.
Always verify: local address, WCB clearance, Google reviews with history, BBB standing. If they can't show you all four, move on.
Step 5: File Your Insurance Claim
Once you have your contractor's professional assessment in hand, contact your insurance company to file the claim. Have the following ready:
- Date and time of the storm event
- Your contractor's written damage assessment with photos
- Photos and videos you documented yourself
- Your policy number and a clear description of all damaged components (roof, soft metals, siding, eavestroughs)
In Alberta, understand that your policy may include a hail-specific deductible that is separate from, perhaps higher than, your standard deductible. Many policies have also shifted from Replacement Cost Value (RCV) to Actual Cash Value (ACV) for roofing, meaning your payout may be reduced by depreciation.
Knowing which type of coverage you have before the adjuster visits helps you understand the numbers when they come in.
Step 6: The Adjuster Visit — What to Know
Your insurance company will assign an adjuster to assess the damage. The adjuster's job is to determine the scope and value of the loss, but adjusters are generalists, not roofing specialists. They work from estimating software (typically Xactimate) and can miss line items that are legitimately part of the claim.
We may meet the insurance adjuster on-site for every storm-damage job we do. We walk the roof with them, point out every damaged item, and ensure the scope is complete before they leave. If their initial estimate misses components (and it often does), we file a 'supplement' to request the additional funds. This isn't unusual or adversarial; it's a standard part of the process. Adjusters see hundreds of claims; your contractor sees Calgary roofs every day.
Common items missed in initial Calgary hail assessments include: drip edge replacement, ice-and-water shield at eaves and valleys (required by Alberta Building Code), decking replacement in storm-damaged sections, ventilation cap replacement, and permit costs. All of these are legitimate claimable items when storm damage is present.
Step 7: Choose Your Materials Wisely
Once your claim is approved, you'll likely be replacing with standard asphalt shingles (insurance covers 'like kind and quality'). Before you sign a contract, ask your contractor and insurer about upgrading to Class 4 impact-resistant shingles. The insurance upgrade is often modest ($1,000–$3,000 out of pocket), and the payoff is significant: many Alberta insurers offer 15–25% premium discounts for Class 4 roofs, and you dramatically reduce your exposure in the next hailstorm.
This is the moment to get the roof right, not just replaced. The difference between standard and Class 4 impact-resistant shingles on a Calgary home is the difference between being in this situation again in 5 years versus being protected for the next 30.
The Emergency Tarping Step
If your roof sustained damage that has resulted in active leaking, your insurance policy requires you to 'mitigate loss,'; meaning you must take reasonable steps to prevent further damage while the claim is processed.
This typically means installing temporary tarping over the damaged area. Failure to mitigate can jeopardize your claim. A reputable contractor will install emergency tarping quickly and include it as a line item in the insurance claim.
