Is wind damage covered by homeowners insurance?

Usually yes — wind is a named peril on most Wisconsin policies. Cover is for sudden storm damage, not for shingles that simply wore out, so the storm date and photos matter.

Can one missing shingle be a problem?

It can. The exposed area lets water at the underlayment and the shingles around it are usually unsealed too. It is normally a quick repair if you catch it.

How soon should I get it looked at?

Within a few weeks. Broken seals get worse with every storm, and insurance claims have deadlines measured in months, not years.

Roof answers

What does wind damage to a roof look like?

Wind damage usually shows as missing shingles, tabs lifted or curled along the edges, horizontal creases across shingles that were bent back and laid down again, exposed nail heads, and torn or lifted flashing. Damage often starts at the roof edges, ridges and corners, where wind pressure is highest.

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Signs of roof damage after a windstorm

Most wind damage is visible from the ground if you know what you are looking at. Walk the perimeter of the house and look along each slope from the corner, where lifted shingles stand out against the line of the roof.

Missing shingles, or bare dark patches where a shingle used to sit
Shingles lifted at the bottom edge, or curled corners that no longer lie flat
A straight horizontal crease across a shingle — it was folded back by wind and dropped again, and the seal is broken even though it looks in place
Shiny nail heads showing where a shingle has slid
Bent, lifted or missing metal flashing around chimneys, walls and valleys
Shingle pieces, granules or gutter sections in the yard or driveway
Ridge caps out of line along the top of the roof

Why wind damage matters even when nothing is leaking

Asphalt shingles rely on a tar strip that seals each row to the one below. Wind breaks that seal before it takes the shingle off. A roof can look intact from the street and still have dozens of unsealed shingles that will lift again in the next storm and let water underneath.

That is why a roof that survived a storm without a leak can still fail two storms later. The damage was done the first night.

How much wind does it take

A roof in good condition is usually rated for 60 to 110 mph depending on the shingle. In practice, gusts in the 45 to 60 mph range are enough to lift older or poorly sealed shingles, and southeast Wisconsin sees those most springs and autumns. Age matters more than the gust number: a 20-year-old roof gives up far sooner than a 5-year-old one.

What to do after a windstorm

Do not climb up. Take photos from the ground on the same day if you can, note the date of the storm, and keep anything that blew into the yard. Those photos are what an insurer will want, and what tells you whether the damage is worth a claim.

Photograph each side of the house straight on, plus close-ups of anything lifted or missing
Photograph debris in the yard and dents in gutters or downspouts
Write down the storm date — claims are time-limited
Check ceilings and the attic for damp before assuming nothing got in

Get an honest read on your photos

PointView's free roof check reads your ground-level photos and tells you in plain English what is actually visible, photo by photo, and what a sensible next step is. If your photos do not show damage, it says so. It is free and takes about five minutes.