HomeHail Damage to Roofs in Sioux Falls
Hail damage to roofs in Sioux Falls
The Sioux Falls area gets hail on 3 to 9 days a year, nearly all of it between April and August. Wind tears up as many roofs. Here is what to look for on your shingles and what to do the morning after a storm.
How often does it hail in Sioux Falls?
Every year. NOAA logged 228 hail reports in Minnehaha, Lincoln, Turner and McCook counties from 2015 to 2025, about 21 a year.
The count swings hard. Minnehaha County, home to Sioux Falls, had 32 reports in 2022 and none in 2024. A report is one sighting, so a single storm crossing the county can produce dozens.
| Year | Hail reports, four counties | Hail days |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 15 | 6 |
| 2016 | 7 | 4 |
| 2017 | 34 | 8 |
| 2018 | 22 | 7 |
| 2019 | 15 | 7 |
| 2020 | 4 | 3 |
| 2021 | 32 | 7 |
| 2022 | 48 | 8 |
| 2023 | 26 | 9 |
| 2024 | 7 | 4 |
| 2025 | 18 | 7 |
May is the busiest month, then August, July and June. April storms count too. After September it nearly stops: one October report in more than eleven years of records.
Most stones here measure 1 to 1.75 inches. Hail 2 inches or bigger turned up only 11 times from 2015 to June 2026.
Which storms hit Sioux Falls roofs hardest?
- 10 September 2019. Three EF2 tornadoes hit south Sioux Falls and near Tea. NOAA put the damage at $6.8 million in Tea alone. An apartment building in south Sioux Falls lost most of its roof, and wind tore the roofs off two more near 41st and Glendale.
- 5 August 2021. Hail of 2 to 3.5 inches caused significant roof damage from south of Dell Rapids through Renner to near Brandon. The biggest stone, 3.5 inches, fell 5 miles north of Sioux Falls.
- 12 May 2022. The derecho brought winds over 100 mph and was one of 18 billion-dollar disasters NOAA counted that year. It tore the roof off a truck stop in Hartford and stripped roof sections from a home near Canistota.
- 29 and 30 May 2022. 33 hail reports in two days, with 2 to 2.5 inch stones on Sioux Falls itself around four in the morning on the 29th.
- 28 July 2025. Wind tore the roof off a house near Davis and ripped shingles from homes near Lennox and Beresford. Gusts of 85 to 87 mph were measured near Parker and Irene.
- 25 July 2026. Gusts of 81 to 82 mph at the Tea and Harrisburg stations damaged roofs across Sioux Falls, Tea, Harrisburg and Brandon, according to local news. No count of damaged homes has been published.
NOAA rarely puts a dollar figure on hail here. It recorded none for May 2022.
This year, NOAA shows four hail days up to 28 June, with stones to 1.75 inches. Its data after that date is not out yet.
Is wind damage as bad as hail?
Yes, and in some years worse. NOAA logged 80 damaging wind reports in the four counties in 2022, against 48 hail reports. In 2025 it was 51 wind reports and 18 hail.
Wind lifts the edge of a shingle and breaks its seal. The next gust folds it back or takes it off. A roof that looks fine from the street can have a row of loose tabs on the side that faced the storm.
A handful of blown-off shingles can be a simple roof repair rather than a new roof. Get it fixed before the next rain finds the gap.
What does hail damage look like on shingles?
Look for dark spots, soft spots and anything that moved. From the ground or an upstairs window, check for these:
- Granule loss. Dark, bare patches where the gritty top layer is gone, and piles of granules in the gutters or at the bottom of downspouts.
- Bruising. A hit that leaves a soft spot, like a bruise on an apple. The mat underneath can crack even when the surface looks whole.
- Lifted, creased or missing tabs. Wind damage more than hail, and the kind that leaks first.
- Dents in soft metal. Dings in vents, flashing, gutters and window screens show the hail was big enough to mark the roof too.
Stay off the roof. A roof inspection with photos settles what is there.
Can small hail damage a roof?
Over time, yes. A 2025 study by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety found that repeated small hail, plus normal weather, wears shingles out faster and leaves them weaker against the next big storm.
Small hail did most of the granule loss in the tests. After two years of this cycle, test shingles performed like ones a decade old.
Insurers may not see it your way. An insurance defense attorney answered the study by comparing small hail to sun and rain, the kind of long-term wear and tear policies can exclude. Read up on how roof claims work in South Dakota before you call your insurer.
Are Class 4 impact-resistant shingles worth it in Sioux Falls?
They cost more. One Sioux Falls directory listed Class 4 roofs at $8,500 to $18,000 in 2026, against $6,500 to $14,000 for architectural asphalt.
Whether that pays back depends on your insurer, so ask your agent about a discount and get the answer in writing. Before you choose, read what the Class 3 and Class 4 ratings test and what independent lab tests found.
What should I do after a hailstorm?
Take photos the same day, then get the roof checked before you sign anything.
- Photograph everything from the ground. Each side of the house, the gutters, downspouts, vents, window screens and the car. Put a hailstone next to a coin or ruler and photograph that too.
- Stop any leak. Tarp it. Keep every receipt.
- Get the roof inspected. Ask for dated photos and a written report on what is damaged and why.
- Read your policy. Find the wind and hail deductible and whether an older roof is paid at actual cash value. One South Dakota insurer pays only cash value on wind and hail roof losses once the roof is 10 or more years old (2024).
- Check the roofer. Inside Sioux Falls city limits, shingling a house needs a city roofing license, and a state tax license does not count. Here is how to check a roofer in Sioux Falls.
Watch for storm chasers
Crews follow hail. The South Dakota Attorney General’s office warned about traveling storm repair crews again in June 2026.
State law bans residential roofers from offering to pay or rebate any part of your insurance deductible, and a contract that breaks the rule is void (SDCL 37-24-50). If you sign a written storm damage roofing contract, you can cancel it within 72 hours of signing, or within 72 hours of your insurer denying the claim in whole or in part (SDCL 37-24-51).
The Attorney General’s advice: get a written quote with the business name on it, ask to see the contractor’s South Dakota sales tax license, never pay in full before the job is done, and be wary of anyone who wants cash only.
Questions about hail damage to roofs in Sioux Falls
What size hail damages a roof?
There is no single cutoff. The worst local roof damage came from 2 to 3.5 inch hail in August 2021, but a 2025 IBHS study found repeated small hail also strips granules and ages shingles faster.
When is hail season in Sioux Falls?
April to August, with May the busiest month for NOAA hail reports from 2015 to 2026. August, July and June follow, and hail after September is rare.
Does homeowners insurance cover hail damage to a roof?
It depends on your policy. Check the wind and hail deductible and how the roof is settled, because one South Dakota insurer pays only actual cash value on wind and hail roof losses once the roof is 10 years old.
Can a roofer pay my deductible in South Dakota?
No. State law (SDCL 37-24-50) bars residential roofers from advertising or promising to pay or rebate any part of your deductible, and a contract that does so is void.
Get a free quote for hail or wind damage
Tell us about the job, with a photo of the damage if you have one, and a local roofing contractor will call, text or email to set up a visit. The quote is free.