When Mother Nature says, “Let’s redecorate your house—violently!”, you've hail damage to windows! Chunks of ice the size of golf balls smashing your windows, cracking, chipping, or shattering the glass into a sparkly disaster. Safety? Gone. Insulation? Bye-bye. Now you’ve got a front-row seat to the weather show, with bonus water and debris flying into your living room. ❄️💨💥
But wait, there’s more! Those icy jerks don’t stop at the glass—they go after your window frames, seals, and screens too, leaving them all bent, busted, and less useful than a screen door on a submarine. What’s the result? Drafts, leaks, and an energy bill that makes you cry harder than the weather forecast.
Here’s how to armor up windows and make hailstorms cry:
Follow these steps, and hailstorms will roll in, look at your windows, and immediately 'nope' out.
Science has been busy cooking up some sweet anti-hail gadgets. Here’s the latest in window armor:
Hail doesn’t stand a chance against these futuristic innovations. Pick your weapon and let your windows laugh in the face of storms.
Has hail decided to turn your windows into abstract art? No worries, fixing that mess is totally doable—just don’t expect it to be fun.
End result: Armor up and tell hail to pick on someone else.
For minor damage—like small chips or cracks that can be fixed with a little repair magic—you’re looking at $100 to $300 per window. Cheap-ish, right? Don’t get too comfy.
For moderate damage, where the glass is cracked but the frame is still holding on for dear life, it’ll cost around $300 to $800 per window. This is where you start regretting not installing those storm shutters.
But if hail went full Hulk Smash and shattered the glass, damaged the frames, and messed with the seals? You’re in the $800 to $1,500+ per window zone. Multiply that by however many windows Mother Nature decided to bully, and voilà! Your wallet cries.
And let’s not even talk about custom or oversized windows. Those bad boys can push the bill into $2,000+ per window territory. Yep, hailstorms aren’t just icy—they’re expensive.
Pro tip: Call in a Public Adjuster to help you get the most out of your insurance claim so you don’t have to fund this mess out of pocket.
Hail-related window destruction falls squarely under the "hail" peril in your property insurance policy. Yep, your insurance company literally has a box labeled "hail punched your windows, pay up." Fancy, right?
BUT—because there’s always a "but"—if your policy has a wind/hail deductible, you might be footing a bigger chunk of the bill than you’d like. And if you’ve got exclusions for hail damage in your policy (seriously, read the fine print), you’re on your own, my friend.
So, hail damage? Usually covered, unless your insurance company decides to play hardball. Just make sure your policy is up to snuff before the next storm shows up uninvited.
Homeowners Insurance: Most homeowners policies—like the HO-1, HO-2, HO-3 , HO-5 , HO-7 and HO-8 — cover it under hail damage peril coverage. Just watch out for those wind/hail deductibles, because they can make your wallet cry harder than your windows did.
Reminder that the standard homeowner insurance polices HO-1, HO-2, and HO-8 offer limited coverage compared with HO-3 , HO-5 and HO-7.
Commercial Property Insurance: Got a business with a storefront? Commercial property insurance will cover hail damage to windows, doors, and other property. Because let’s face it—broken windows aren’t great for business unless you’re in the “open-air” market.
Renters Insurance (HO-4): Sorry, renters—your stuff might be covered if hail wrecked your landlord’s windows and let the weather in, but the windows themselves? That’s your landlord’s circus and their monkeys.
Condo Insurance (HO-6): If you’re in a condo, your policy will cover damage to the windows inside your unit. Anything on the outside? That’s your HOA’s problem—or at least it should be, assuming they have a good master policy.
Bottom line? Most standard policies have hail’s number, but always read the fine print. Exclusions and deductibles are the insurance world’s way of keeping things spicy. Don’t wait until hail turns your house into Swiss cheese to figure it out!
Get a free insurance policy review with a Tiger Adjuster Public Adjuster!
Hail can damage windows by cracking, shattering, or chipping the glass, compromising the safety and insulation of the home. Severe impacts can break through the glass entirely, allowing water and debris to enter the interior. Hail may also damage window frames, seals, and screens, reducing their ability to protect against weather and drafts. Broken or weakened windows can lead to energy inefficiency, increasing heating and cooling costs. Prompt repairs or replacements are essential to restore the windows' functionality and prevent further damage to the property.
Each year, 1 in every 20 insured homes file an insurance claim with 98% involving property damage.
(Insurance Information Institute, 2021. Claim average from 2017-2021.)
