What the October Storms Did
Two days of severe storms hit the Valley on October 20 and 21, 2026. On the night of the 20th, the National Weather Service warned of hail and 60 mph winds north of Mesa.
One big storm cell moved over Chandler, Mesa and Fountain Hills. Hail also fell in Gilbert, Tempe, Scottsdale and North Phoenix. A photo east of Mesa showed hail 1 to 2 inches wide, and news crews reported hail up to baseball size near 19th Avenue and Peoria.
Big storms aren't just a summer thing here. Monsoon season runs June 15 to September 30, but golf ball hail hit Ahwatukee in November 2025. And the worst storm on record for damage in Arizona was a hailstorm on October 5, 2010.
What Storms Do to Each Kind of Roof
The damage depends on what your roof is made of. After the October storms, a Mesa roofer saw the most damage on shingles. Clay tile and foam roofs took damage too, and concrete tile mostly held up.
| Roof type | What storm damage looks like |
|---|---|
| Asphalt shingle | Hail knocks off the granules and leaves dark spots. In time the mat under them shows and can leak. Wind can lift or tear shingles. |
| Clay tile | More brittle than concrete, so hail cracks and chips it. Wind can lift tiles and slide them out of place. |
| Concrete tile | Held up best in October. Wind can still shift tiles and leave the underlayment open to rain. |
| Flat and foam | Hail can dent or punch through the coating. Without it, the sun breaks down the foam and a leak can follow. |
Wind is the other half of storm damage. NWS Phoenix says microburst winds are often 40 to 60 mph and can top 100 mph at times. That's enough to lift tiles, tear off flashing and drop branches on the roof.
Got solar panels? A damaged system can still seem to work as usual, so have it checked along with the roof.
Your Rights Under Arizona Law
Scammers follow big storms. In August 2026, Attorney General Kris Mayes warned Arizonans about storm repair scams. Her advice: check the license, get more than one written estimate, and don't pay in full until the work is done.
Arizona also has a law for storm repair contracts, A.R.S. 32-1158.02. It applies when your insurance company names the storm a catastrophe for your area. Under it:
- You can cancel within four business days of signing, for any reason.
- If your insurance company denies the claim, you can cancel within 72 hours of being told.
- The down payment can't be more than half of the contract.
- A contractor can't pay or rebate your deductible, or advertise that they will.
- A contractor can't act as your adjuster or negotiate your claim for you.
Check any roofer's license with the Arizona Registrar of Contractors before you sign. Ours are AZ ROC #336058 for building and #347030 for restoration.
Repair or Replace
Plenty of storm-damaged roofs need a repair, not a new roof. A few cracked tiles and the underlayment under them can often be fixed on their own.
Replacing makes sense when the damage covers much of the roof, or the roof was near the end of its life before the storm. Hail can also take years off a roof that isn't leaking yet.
After the free inspection, we'll tell you which one you need and show you photos of why. If water already got inside, we fix that too. We're a licensed restoration company and IICRC certified.


























