Storm & Hail Damage in Cypress, TX and Harris County

Texas homeowners insurance claims, storm-chaser scams, and hail damage all follow specific rules and patterns that NOAA and the Texas Department of Insurance have documented. This hub page summarizes what the record shows for Cypress and Harris County — from filing deadlines to what real hail damage looks like — with links to full-depth, source-cited guides.

Storm damage, insurance claims, and the contractors who show up right after a hailstorm are all connected — and all governed by real, checkable rules. This page is a short-answer overview of each; the full-depth, source-cited treatment of each question lives in its own linked guide below.

How do I file a roof insurance claim in Texas?

Start by reporting the damage to your insurer as soon as possible, photographing everything before cleanup, and keeping receipts, per Texas Department of Insurance guidance. Once filed, Texas Insurance Code chapter 542 sets response deadlines: acknowledgment by the 15th day, an accept/reject decision within 15 business days, and payment within 5 business days after notifying the policyholder of acceptance.

There’s also no universal filing deadline for a standard homeowners policy — only Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) claims carry a confirmed one-year deadline. And a contractor can support and document your claim, but Texas law doesn’t let one act as your adjuster or waive your deductible.

Read the full walkthrough — including the exact statutory deadlines and the roofer-cannot-be-your-adjuster rule — in How to File a Roof Insurance Claim in Texas.

How do I spot a storm-chaser scam after a hailstorm?

Watch for contractors demanding full payment up front, out-of-town crews asking for a down payment before starting work right after a disaster (illegal in Texas), and any contract assigning your entire insurance payout to them — warning signs the Texas Department of Insurance names directly. So is a contractor offering to waive your deductible.

These crews tend to follow the storms themselves — Cypress had a real, documented one on May 16, 2024, when a derecho produced an EF-1 tornado and an estimated 90-knot (about 104 mph) wind gust in the area, the kind of visible damage that draws traveling repair crews from outside the region.

Read the full guide: How to Spot a Storm-Chaser Roofing Scam After a Hailstorm.

What does hail damage look like on a roof?

There’s no single hail size at which shingle damage reliably begins, according to IBHS impact testing, which instead rates shingles in a lab using 1.5- and 2.0-inch steel hailstones and grades dents, tears, and granule loss. Even sub-severe, under-1-inch hail can strip protective granules and leave a roof more vulnerable to damage from later storms.

That granule loss matters because it’s often the least visible kind of damage from the ground — a roof can look fine from the driveway while its protective surface has already been thinned by an earlier, smaller storm.

Read the full guide on what to actually look for: What Does Hail Damage Look Like on a Roof?.

Does insurance cover an old or worn-out roof?

No — the Texas Department of Insurance is direct about this: your insurer won’t pay for a new roof just because it’s old or worn out. What you get instead depends on your policy type: replacement cost coverage pays current repair prices, while actual cash value coverage pays less for an older, worn roof.

Replacement cost coverage typically pays in two parts — a partial payment up front, with the rest released once repairs start — while actual cash value factors in the roof’s age and condition before it pays out.

Read the full guide: Does Homeowners Insurance Cover an Old or Worn-Out Roof in Texas?.

How bad does hail get in Cypress and Harris County?

NOAA’s Storm Events Database recorded 143 hail events across Harris County from 2016 through 2025 — about 14 a year — with 119 reaching the 1-inch severe-hail threshold. Cypress itself took a direct hit on May 16, 2024, when a derecho produced an EF-1 tornado and an estimated 90-knot (about 104 mph) wind gust in the area.

The largest hailstone recorded countywide from 2020 through 2025 was 2.00 inches, reported April 5, 2023. Year-to-year counts swing widely — from 0 recorded events in 2022 to 28 in both 2023 and 2024 — and these are individual point reports, not distinct storm days, so they shouldn’t be read as a “hail days per year” figure.

Read the full guide: How Bad Does Hail Get in Cypress and Harris County, and How Often?.