Hail Season Is a Window Event Here
North Texas sits in the heart of American hail country, and Wichita Falls takes its share — spring supercells that pit aluminum frames, shred solar screens, crack glass and, on the bad days, punch through it. This city also carries longer storm memory than most: the April 10, 1979 tornado remains one of the most destructive in Texas history, and the housing rebuilt in its wake is now approaching fifty years old — with its original builder-grade windows aging out all at once. Storms are simply part of what windows in this town are asked to survive.
After the Storm: Document First, Fix Second
If hail has just hit, the order of operations matters for your claim:
- Photograph everything before touching anything — cracked panes, pitted frames, torn screens, dented capping, plus the hailstones themselves next to something for scale if you can do it safely.
- Board or film broken glass to stop water and secure the home — reasonable emergency measures are expected; discarding damaged windows before the adjuster sees them is what causes trouble.
- Report the claim promptly and note your policy’s wind/hail deductible, which on many Texas policies is a percentage of the dwelling coverage rather than a flat figure.
- Get an independent local assessment. An installer who documents window damage professionally — opening by opening, with photos and a written scope — gives the adjuster something concrete to work from and you a real number to compare against the settlement offer.
One caution earned honestly in Texas: after big storms, out-of-town operators sweep through neighborhoods offering to “handle everything” if you sign on the spot. Read anything before you sign it, be wary of assignments of your claim benefits, and prefer local crews with local numbers who will still be here next spring. The installers we refer are exactly that.
Rebuilding Stronger Than Builder-Grade
A hail claim is also an opportunity: if the storm took your worst windows, the replacement is your chance to upgrade the glass package rather than reinstalling 1979. Impact-resistant laminated glass — two panes bonded to an interior layer, the same principle as a windshield — holds together when struck and is worth pricing for exposed west and south faces. At minimum, modern double-pane units with quality screens will shrug off the small hail that used to pit your aluminum. Ask the installer to quote both paths; the delta is often smaller than expected when insurance is already covering the base replacement.