Severe storms are forecast to develop across Metro Atlanta and North Georgia this afternoon and evening, with the strongest cells expected to produce 60 mph wind gusts and hail ranging from nickel to quarter size. WSB-TV Chief Meteorologist Brad Nitz issued the alert this morning. If hail reaches the quarter-size threshold (one inch in diameter), your roof is exposed to the kind of impact damage that triggers insurance claims — and the steps you take in the next 72 hours determine whether your carrier pays in full, pays partial, or denies the claim entirely.
This page is a working guide for homeowners across Metro Atlanta who want to know what to do tonight, tomorrow morning, and through the rest of the week. North metro homeowners can also read our local guide to hail damage in Cumming and Forsyth County.
Why quarter-size hail is the threshold that matters
Hail under one inch rarely causes the visible granule loss, mat fracture, or membrane bruising that insurance adjusters need to see to approve a claim. Hail at one inch and above starts to leave the kind of impact marks that translate to "covered loss" in an Xactimate scope. Nickel-size hail measures roughly 7/8 of an inch. Quarter-size measures one inch exactly. That puts tonight's forecast directly on the line where claims become viable.
Wind matters too. Sixty mph gusts can lift shingle tabs, break the thermal seal that holds them down, and expose the underlayment to water intrusion on the next rainfall. Wind damage is often less visible than hail damage from the ground but is fully claimable.
See our article Hail Damage Signs Most Homeowners Miss for what to look for from the ground level.
During the storm
Stay inside. If you have outdoor furniture, vehicles, or anything that can be moved into a garage, move it. Photograph your roof, gutters, and exterior right now while conditions are dry — these "before" photos become powerful evidence later if a carrier disputes the loss date.
Note the time the hail starts and stops, and roughly how long quarter-size or larger hail fell. Adjusters ask this directly.
The first 72 hours after the storm
This is the window that decides whether your claim succeeds.
Tonight or first thing tomorrow morning, walk your property at ground level. Look for:
- Shingle granules washed into gutters, downspout splash zones, and the ground at the base of your downspouts (looks like coarse dark sand)
- Bent, dented, or torn aluminum on gutters, downspouts, fascia, and vent caps
- Dented HVAC condenser fins on the unit beside your house — this is the single clearest hail-size indicator an adjuster will look for
- Cracked or shattered skylights
- Tree damage, downed limbs, fence damage — all useful context for proving the storm's severity
- Interior ceiling stains, water spots near light fixtures, damp drywall around chimneys or skylights
Document everything with date-stamped phone photos. Modern phone cameras embed location and timestamp in image metadata. Don't delete anything, even photos that look "minor." Adjusters build a damage pattern from many small data points.
Do not get on your roof. Wet shingles, hidden mat fractures, and the liability of a fall during inspection all argue against it. A licensed inspector or your roofing advisor handles roof-level documentation.
Call us before you call your carrier. This is not about steering — it's about sequence. A free roof health assessment before you file gives you a written third-party damage report that becomes your evidence baseline. Filing a claim cold, without documentation, hands the entire narrative to the carrier's adjuster.
The claim window in Georgia
Georgia gives homeowners one year from the date of loss to file a hail or wind claim under most standard property insurance policies. Filing within the first 14 days dramatically improves outcomes — adjusters give more weight to fresh, clearly-dated damage and have less room to argue the loss came from a prior storm or normal wear.
Before you call your carrier, know two things about your policy:
- Is it RCV or ACV? Replacement Cost Value policies pay the full cost to replace the roof, minus depreciation, with that depreciation released as a second check when the work is completed. Actual Cash Value policies pay only the depreciated value and never release more. If you don't know which you have, find your declarations page or call your agent. See our article ACV vs RCV: What Georgia Homeowners Need to Know.
- What's your deductible? This is your out-of-pocket cost regardless of carrier coverage. It cannot legally be waived by a contractor in Georgia. Anyone offering to "eat" your deductible is committing insurance fraud and exposing you to a denied claim.
See our article What to Do Before the Insurance Adjuster Visits. And if you're not sure what ACV means on your settlement check, read our complete ACV vs RCV guide for Georgia homeowners before you file.
How A&E Roofing Advisors helps after a storm
We are not a roofing contractor. We are a homeowner-side advisor who manages the full process from inspection through final claim payment. Here's the sequence we run after a confirmed hail event:
- Free roof health assessment — in-person inspection within 48 hours. We photo-document every plane, flashing, penetration, and damage indicator and deliver you a written report.
- Insurance viability check — we review your policy declarations, confirm whether you have RCV or ACV coverage, and tell you straight whether filing makes financial sense.
- Filing support — if the claim is viable, we walk you through filing with your carrier and prepare you for what the adjuster will look for.
- Adjuster meeting — we meet your insurance adjuster on site, walk the roof with them, and advocate for full scope including overhead and profit where applicable.
- Scope review — we read the carrier's Xactimate scope of loss line by line and identify any missed items for supplement.
- Contractor coordination — we route the approved scope to our exclusive installation partner, oversee material orders and production, and stay on-site through completion.
- Final claim collection — we submit completion invoices and a Certificate of Completion to your carrier to release recoverable depreciation, and we pursue supplements for anything caught during production.
The homeowner is responsible for their deductible. Beyond that, what the carrier pays depends on your policy type and the approved scope of loss, which is exactly what we review with you before you file. Our compensation comes from the completed project on the contractor side — you pay nothing additional for the advisory service.
Take action now
Start with a free roof health score: answer 6 questions about your home in under 2 minutes and get an instant directional read on your roof's age, condition, and insurance exposure.
Or skip the calculator: if you already know your roof took a hit tonight, book the in-person inspection directly. Evan Berg from A&E Roofing Advisors will be on your property within 48 hours.
Free Roof Score is a roof health and insurance assessment tool published by A&E Roofing Advisors, LLC. We connect homeowners with vetted, licensed roofing contractors. We are not a roofing contractor — all inspections and work are performed by independent licensed professionals.