What to Check on Your Roof After a Lehigh Valley Spring Storm (DIY Visual Inspection Guide)

Pennsylvania spring storm season runs roughly mid-March through late June. Each year the Lehigh Valley sees 30 to 35 thunderstorm events, with some producing severe straight-line winds, hail, and the occasional confirmed tornado in Northampton or Lehigh County. The damage these storms leave on a roof is often subtle. Lifted shingle tabs, granule loss, and small flashing displacement won't fail today, but each one becomes the entry point for a leak on the next significant rain.

This guide assumes you've just had a storm pass over your area and you want to know what to check on your own, without climbing a ladder. The goal is to identify whether you need a professional inspection and to document the condition of the roof for any conversation you have with a contractor or your insurer.

Before You Walk Outside: A Quick Interior Check

Start inside. Two things to look for:

Water stains on interior ceilings. Walk every room with a ceiling, paying particular attention to the top floor and any room with a vaulted or cathedral ceiling. New stains (typically yellow-brown rings or blotches) signal an active or recently active leak path from above. Photograph anything you find with the date visible on the photo.

Attic walkthrough. If your attic is accessible and safe to enter, use a flashlight to scan the rafters, decking, and insulation. Look for: daylight visible through the roof deck, wet or compressed insulation, water stains on rafters, and any musty smell. The attic check is the single most useful interior step because it identifies leak paths that haven't yet shown up as ceiling stains. Do not enter an attic with no permanent flooring or with knob-and-tube wiring; those are professional inspection scenarios.

The 15-Minute Ground-Level Walkaround

Outside, do a slow walk of your home's full perimeter. Bring binoculars, your phone for photos, and a notepad. Start at one corner of the house and move methodically. The point is to look up at the roof and down at the ground in parallel.

The order matters. Ground-level findings tell you where to look up. If you see a pile of shingle granules below a downspout, that's a strong cue to scan the roof slope that drains into that downspout for granule loss or bald patches. If a single shingle piece is on the lawn, look for the missing tab on the slope above it.

Damage Severity: What's Urgent vs What Can Wait

Not every storm-related finding needs immediate attention. Some can wait days; others need a same-day call. Here's how to triage what you find.

One important note on hail: damage isn't always visible to a homeowner on the day of the storm. Hail bruising sometimes develops the appearance of granule loss over a few weeks as the protective layer that was loosened by impact actually falls off. If you experienced a significant hail event but don't see obvious damage on day one, schedule a professional inspection within 30 days anyway. Insurance claim deadlines tend to favor early documentation.

Documenting What You Find

Good photo documentation matters more than people realize. It anchors any conversation with a contractor or insurer to facts rather than memory.

Phone photos work fine. No special equipment needed. The key is to capture the same area from multiple angles and include enough context (the corner of the house, a window, a known reference) that the location is identifiable.

Date-stamp them. Most phones embed timestamps in the photo metadata automatically. Don't strip that data when sharing.

Wide shot, then detail. For each problem area, take one photo showing the broader context (the whole slope, for example) and one zoom-in showing the specific damage. Both are useful for different purposes.

Note the storm date. Write down the date of the storm event, the approximate time it passed through, and any unusual conditions (hail size, wind direction, duration). Insurers will ask, and contractor estimates depend on it.

For hail events, the National Weather Service maintains storm reports that you can use to confirm hail size and wind speed in your specific area. Combined with your photo documentation, that's a complete record of the event.

When to Call a Roofer

Schedule a free professional inspection if any of these apply after your ground-level walk:

• You found any item from the "Call today" or "Inspect within the week" rows in the table above.
• The storm produced hail of 1 inch or larger, regardless of what you visually observe.
• Sustained winds in your area exceeded 50 mph during the storm.
• Your roof is more than 12 years old and the storm was severe.
• You see anything you can't identify confidently from the ground.
• You're documenting damage for an insurance claim and need a professional report.

A free drone inspection is particularly useful after major storms because it produces high-resolution photos of every slope, ridge, and detail that's invisible from the ground, without anyone climbing on the roof. The footage doubles as documentation for an insurance claim.

A Warning About Storm Chasers

After every major storm event, out-of-state contractors canvass affected neighborhoods. Some are legitimate; many are not. Pennsylvania's Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act requires any contractor doing residential work above the state-registered threshold to be registered with the PA Attorney General's office and to display their HIC number on all contracts and advertisements. Valley Peak's registration is PA171380.

Red flags that should make you walk away from any contractor (storm chaser or not):

• Pressure to sign a contract on the first visit, often with a "today only" discount
• No local Lehigh Valley address; only a phone number or PO box
• Inability to produce a PA HIC number on request, or a number that doesn't verify at the AG's website
• Requests for large cash deposits (typically more than 1/3 of total) before any work begins
• Suggestion that they'll "take care of the insurance claim" with no homeowner involvement
• No physical evidence of recent local work in your area

For more on the contractor selection process, our how to choose a roofing contractor guide walks through the questions to ask and the verification steps that protect homeowners.

The Bottom Line

A 15-minute ground-level inspection after a Lehigh Valley spring storm protects your roof, your home, and your safety. Walk the perimeter. Look at the ground for clues, at the roof through binoculars, at interior ceilings for new stains, and in the attic if it's safely accessible. Document anything that looks off with timestamped photos.

Most storms produce minor cosmetic findings that can be documented and watched. The events that produce real damage are severe wind episodes above 50 mph, hail of 1 inch or larger, and any storm where debris ends up on the roof. For those, a free professional inspection within the next week is the right move regardless of what you can or can't see from the ground.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it safe to climb on my roof to inspect storm damage?

No. The CDC reports that 43% of fatal falls involve ladders, with 97% of ladder injuries occurring at homes rather than job sites. A 2024 peer-reviewed trauma study found that 93% of roof fall patients required hospitalization, and 76% needed surgery. A ground-level inspection using binoculars catches roughly 70% of visible roof damage with zero fall risk. The remaining 30% is what a professional inspection with proper fall protection is for, and most roofers offer it free.

What size hail damages a roof?

Hail at 1 inch in diameter (roughly the size of a quarter) is the threshold where most modern architectural asphalt shingles begin to show visible damage. Hail at 1.5 inches or larger reliably causes bruising and granule loss on a typical roof. Smaller hail can still damage older or poorly installed shingles. The clearest ground-level indicator is granule accumulation in gutters or downspout splash zones after the storm.

How long do I have to file a storm damage claim?

Pennsylvania homeowners insurance policies typically require notice of a claim within 12 months of the loss date, though many policies expect prompt notification. Most policies also include a suit-against-us clause that limits how long a homeowner has to take legal action, typically one year from the date of loss. Check your specific policy. The shorter window means documenting damage with timestamped photos quickly after a storm matters.

Should I sign anything from a storm-chaser contractor?

Do not sign anything on the first visit from any contractor who shows up unsolicited after a storm, especially out-of-state contractors offering same-day discounts. Pennsylvania requires home improvement contractors doing residential work above the state-registered threshold to be registered (PA HIC number). Ask for it, then verify it at the PA Attorney General's website before signing anything. Reputable local contractors will not pressure you to sign on the spot.