Short answer: It’s possible, but uncommon. Solar panels are generally tested and rated to withstand hail up to about an inch in diameter at highway speeds, which covers most storms. Severe or unusually large hail can still cause cracked glass, dented frames, or roof damage underneath, so after a significant hail event it’s worth having both the panels and the roof inspected rather than assuming everything’s fine just because nothing looks broken from the ground.
Missouri and Kansas sit in or near what’s sometimes called “Hail Alley,” one of the more hail-prone parts of the country, so this isn’t a hypothetical for most SunSent customers. It’s a real seasonal risk. The good news is that solar panels are built and tested for exactly this kind of weather; the question after a storm is less “can hail damage panels” in the abstract and more “did this storm cause damage to my system.”
How solar panels are tested for hail
- Industry testing standards. Panels sold in the U.S. are typically tested under standards like UL 61730 and IEC 61215, which commonly involve firing ice balls around one inch in diameter at the panel at roughly 50 mph to confirm it holds up without cracking.
- What that does and doesn’t cover. That standard reflects a fairly severe, direct hit. It’s a meaningful baseline, but it’s a lab test, not a guarantee against every possible real-world storm, especially hail larger than the tested size or paired with high wind.
- Tempered glass surface. The glass covering most panels is tempered specifically to resist impact. It’s designed to be more impact-resistant than standard glass, not indestructible.
What actual hail damage can look like
- Visible cracking or spiderwebbing on the glass surface. This is the most obvious sign, though not every impact leaves a visible mark.
- Dented or bent frames and mounting hardware, which can affect how securely the panel sits even if the glass itself looks fine.
- Microcracks you can’t see from the ground. Hard impacts can sometimes create small internal cracks that don’t show up visually but can gradually reduce a panel’s output over time. This is why a post-storm inspection matters even when nothing looks damaged.
- Roof damage underneath or around the array. Hail doesn’t only affect the panels. Shingles, flashing, and gutters near the array can take damage from the same storm, independent of whether the panels themselves were hit.
What to do after a significant hail event
- Don’t climb up and check it yourself. A damaged roof or panel array isn’t a safe place for an untrained inspection. Leave the roof-level check to a professional.
- Watch your system’s production data, if your monitoring app shows per-panel or per-string output. A sudden, unexplained drop after a storm is one of the more reliable early signs of hidden damage.
- Get both the roof and the panels inspected together, not separately. A single inspection that covers both is faster and avoids the roofer and solar company each assuming the other already checked.
- Document the storm date and any visible damage before repairs start, since that documentation is typically what your insurer and your installer’s warranty claim (if needed) will both ask for.
How SunSent approaches this
Because SunSent handles both roofing and solar in-house, a post-hail inspection covers the roof and the array in one visit instead of two separate appointments with two separate companies, which also means one combined assessment to bring to your insurance adjuster if there’s a claim involved. For the insurance side of a covered hail claim, see our page on insurance coverage for solar panel removal and reinstallation.
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FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Panels are generally tested to withstand roughly 1-inch hail at highway speeds, so most typical storms don’t cause damage. Larger or unusually severe hail can still cause cracking or frame damage, which is why a post-storm check is worth doing rather than assuming the panels are fine based on size alone.
It can. Microcracks aren’t always visible, but they can gradually reduce a panel’s output. If your monitoring app shows an unexplained drop in production after a hailstorm, that’s worth having checked even if nothing looks broken.
Most manufacturer warranties are focused on defects and performance guarantees rather than storm damage, which is typically where homeowners insurance comes in instead. Confirm with your installer and your insurer which one actually applies before assuming either way.
Both, in the same visit. Because SunSent handles roofing and solar together, a post-storm inspection checks the roof and the array as one combined assessment rather than two separate ones.