April 25, 2026: What Saturday's North Texas Hailstorm Means for DFW Roofs
Update — April 26, 2026: This post covers the April 25, 2026 North Texas severe-weather event. If your home was in the storm zone, schedule a free inspection or call us at 214.621.7376.
Three days ago we wrote that DFW's 2026 hail season was off to an unusually quiet start. Saturday night ended that.
A severe-weather complex moved across North Texas on the evening of April 25, 2026, dropping large hail across a wide swath of the Metroplex. Reports came in from across Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, and Denton counties — hail ranging from quarter to tennis-ball size depending on the corridor, with strong straight-line winds that pushed it sideways into siding, gutters, and west-facing windows.
If your home is in DFW, the question isn't whether the storm hit. The question is what to do now.
What hit, and where
The National Weather Service issued severe-weather coverage across Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, Denton, Rockwall, and Parker counties through the late evening and into Sunday morning. The storms produced large hail, damaging wind gusts, and locally heavy rain — a profile that, when it materializes across a metro this size, almost always produces a wide trail of roof, gutter, and vehicle damage.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for Dallas at 12:42 AM CDT on April 26, calling out tennis-ball hail and 60-mph wind gusts specifically. Tarrant County hail reports came in at half-dollar to baseball size, and wind gusts measured near 90 mph in Parker County, just west of Fort Worth, knocking out power to roughly 40,000 customers across the region overnight.
What we're seeing across DFW
Square's inspection schedule started filling within hours of the line clearing the Metroplex. Based on early ground reports, the cities most likely to see widespread roof damage from this event include:
- Dallas, Richardson, Garland, and Mesquite — direct line of the worst hail core through the eastern Metroplex
- Plano, Frisco, McKinney, and Allen — central-corridor metros with multiple confirmed warnings
- Lewisville, Flower Mound, Carrollton, and Coppell — west of I-35E, in the path of the leading edge
- Arlington, Irving, Grapevine, and Southlake — Tarrant-side impact through the DFW Airport corridor
- Rowlett, Wylie, and the eastern suburbs along Lake Ray Hubbard
If you live in one of these cities, assume your roof needs to be inspected — even if it looks fine from the ground. Granule loss, fractured mat, and impact bruising on three-tab and architectural shingles are not visible from your driveway.
What to do in the next 72 hours
The decisions you make this week determine how much of your repair gets covered by insurance. The full playbook is in our first 48 hours after hail damage post — here's the short version specific to this event:
Document everything before you touch anything. Walk the property and photograph every visible piece of damage. Roof, gutters, fence, AC condenser, windows, garage door, vehicles. Wide shots and close-ups. Phones embed timestamp and GPS metadata in photos — that metadata is gold if there's ever a question about when the damage occurred.
Don't file your claim yet. This sounds wrong and it's not. File a claim that closes at $4,000 when the real number is $22,000 and reopening it is uphill — sometimes impossible. Get an independent inspection from a local contractor first, in writing, so you know the full scope before the carrier has it.
Mitigate, and keep every receipt. If there's a hole in the roof or interior water entry, your policy obligates you to prevent further damage. Tarping is reimbursable. Skipping it can give the carrier a reason to deny interior damage.
Don't sign anything with anyone who knocks on your door. Out-of-state storm-chaser crews are already on their way to DFW. They will be aggressive this week. Our guide to spotting roofing scams walks through the specific red flags. The short version: a contractor with a Texas business address, local liability and workers' comp insurance, and verifiable references is what you want. Anything else, walk away.
The insurance-claim window most homeowners don't know they're on
Texas property-insurance policies generally require that claims for storm damage be filed within a defined window — most carriers specify one year, some require notice within a much shorter period. The clock started Saturday night.
That doesn't mean you should rush to file. It does mean you shouldn't wait six months because "the leak isn't bad yet." The full breakdown of how the claim process works in Texas is in our Texas roof insurance claim guide.
A few things worth understanding before the adjuster shows up:
- The adjuster works for the carrier. Most are fair, but their incentives don't perfectly align with yours. A contractor at the meeting can spot damage the adjuster missed and document it on the spot.
- Initial scopes are often incomplete. Supplements — the formal addition of items the original scope missed — are a normal part of the process, not an exception.
- Your deductible is what you pay regardless of carrier. Square does not eat, waive, or rebate deductibles. Anyone who offers to is breaking Texas law and you should walk away.
Square attends the adjuster meeting with you, documents damage, and presents the scope. We do not file claims for homeowners and we are not public adjusters. The line between contractor and adjuster matters in Texas — and any contractor who blurs it should worry you.
If you're already on a replacement timeline
If your roof was already 15+ years old and you'd been thinking about replacement, this storm likely just made the decision for you. Two things worth knowing:
- Class 4 impact-rated shingles qualify for an insurance discount from most major Texas carriers — generally 20–30% off the wind/hail portion of your premium. Our Class 4 discount calculator shows what the annual savings look like for your specific carrier.
- Supply chains tighten the week after a major event. Material lead times that are normally three days will be ten days by Friday. If you're going to replace, schedule the inspection now.
Bottom line
Saturday's storm was the event the 2026 season had been holding back. The homeowners who come out of the next two months best — fully covered, properly scoped, repaired by a local contractor that will still be answering the phone in 2030 — are the ones who move calmly and document carefully this week.
If you'd like a free inspection, an independent second opinion on a scope you've already received, or just an honest assessment of whether you have damage at all, call us at 214.621.7376 or schedule online. No pressure, no pitch, no door-knocking. We'll tell you what's actually there.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How big was the hail in the April 25, 2026 DFW storm?
- Reports across Tarrant, Dallas, Collin, and Denton counties ranged from quarter to baseball size, with the worst hail core moving through the central and eastern Metroplex. A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for Dallas at 12:42 AM CDT on April 26 calling out tennis-ball hail and 60-mph wind gusts.
- Which DFW cities were hit by the April 25 hailstorm?
- Severe-weather coverage spanned Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, Denton, Rockwall, and Parker counties. Cities most likely to see widespread roof damage include Dallas, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Allen, Richardson, Garland, Mesquite, Rowlett, Wylie, Arlington, Irving, Lewisville, Flower Mound, Carrollton, Coppell, Grapevine, and Southlake.
- Should I file an insurance claim immediately after a hailstorm?
- Not before you know the full scope of the damage. Filing a claim that closes at a low number and then reopening it is difficult and sometimes impossible. The recommended sequence: document the damage, get an independent inspection from a local contractor in writing, then file once you know what's actually damaged. Texas policies generally allow up to a year, but verify your specific policy.
- How long do I have to file a hail damage claim in Texas?
- Most Texas property-insurance carriers allow up to one year from the date of loss to file a hail or wind claim, but some policies specify shorter notice windows. Check your declarations page or call your agent. Don't wait — pre-existing damage and new damage become harder to separate over time.
- Can I tell if my roof has hail damage from the ground?
- No. The most common forms of hail damage — granule loss, fractured shingle mat, and impact bruising — are typically invisible from ground level. Even from a ladder at the eave, you can miss the field of the roof. A trained inspector walks the roof to mark each impact and assess slope-by-slope. Square does this for free with no obligation.
- How do I avoid storm-chaser roofing scams after a major hail event?
- After every major DFW storm, out-of-state crews flood the area and knock doors aggressively. Red flags: no Texas business address (a PO box or hotel doesn't count), no proof of liability and workers' comp insurance, pressure to sign on the spot, offers to 'eat' or rebate your deductible (illegal in Texas), and an inability to provide local references. Use a contractor with a verifiable physical address and a track record of being in the area before the storm.
- Will my homeowner's insurance cover roof replacement from this storm?
- If your roof has hail damage that meets your carrier's threshold and your policy includes wind/hail coverage, replacement is generally covered minus your deductible and any depreciation that doesn't get recovered. Some Texas policies have separate (and higher) wind/hail deductibles. The threshold and the depreciation handling vary by carrier — our insurance carrier comparison covers the differences.
- Should my contractor attend the insurance adjuster meeting?
- Yes. The adjuster works for the carrier and has limited time per inspection. A local contractor at the meeting can identify damage the adjuster might miss, document it on the spot, and ensure the scope reflects the full extent of the loss. Square attends adjuster meetings as part of our standard process — we document damage and present the scope. We do not file claims and we are not public adjusters.
- What is a Class 4 shingle and why does it matter after a hailstorm?
- Class 4 is the highest impact-resistance rating under UL 2218 testing. Shingles that earn the rating typically qualify for a homeowner's-insurance discount of 20–30% on the wind/hail portion of the premium from most major Texas carriers. If your roof needs replacement after this storm, upgrading to Class 4 often pays for the upgrade within a few years through the discount alone.
- How quickly can Square inspect my roof after the April 25 storm?
- We're scheduling free inspections this week across DFW. Inspections take about 30–45 minutes and include the roof, gutters, and visible exterior damage. We'll tell you honestly what we find — including 'no damage' if that's what's there. Call 214.621.7376 or schedule online.
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