Sunprint
The short answer
Yes, hail can break solar panels, and Texas gets more hail reports than any other state. But about two in three Texas hail reports are smaller than a golf ball, and panels hold up better than their 1-inch rating implies. When a hailstorm hit the Denver area on May 8, 2017, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory found one broken panel out of more than 3,000 on its campus.
The bigger money question is insurance. The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) says most home policies cover hail, but not on the Gulf Coast, and a percentage deductible can mean a hail claim pays nothing at all. Read your policy before you install, not after a storm.
Texas hail by the numbers
NOAA's Storm Events Database logs hail that people see and measure. From 2016 to 2025 it recorded 12,919 hail reports in Texas, against 7,353 in Kansas, the next state. Texas had at least 751 reports every year, and 1,912 in 2023.
About one in three reports (4,070) was golf ball size, 1.75 inches, or larger. That's bigger than the 1-inch ice ball in the standard panel test, though most panels can take more than their rating, as the next sections show.
Texas hail reports by month, 2016 to 2025
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, all Texas hail reports, 2016 to 2025.
Hail season in Texas is spring. May alone had 36% of all reports. July through February together had less than 11%.
Where Texas hail is reported most
The counties around Dallas and Fort Worth log the most hail, and the most big hail: Collin, Tarrant and Denton each had more than 100 reports of golf ball size or larger. West Texas stands out for size: 45% of Midland County's reports were golf ball size or larger. The coast and the far west log the least.
| County (a city in it) | Reports, 2016 to 2025 | Golf ball or larger |
|---|---|---|
| Tarrant (Fort Worth) | 465 | 102 |
| Denton (Denton) | 373 | 102 |
| Collin (Plano) | 310 | 104 |
| Bexar (San Antonio) | 294 | 84 |
| Williamson (Round Rock) | 203 | 57 |
| Dallas (Dallas) | 196 | 37 |
| Potter (Amarillo) | 185 | 44 |
| Randall (Canyon) | 183 | 38 |
| Travis (Austin) | 152 | 37 |
| Harris (Houston) | 143 | 31 |
| Midland (Midland) | 140 | 63 |
| Taylor (Abilene) | 118 | 35 |
| McLennan (Waco) | 114 | 28 |
| Lubbock (Lubbock) | 106 | 39 |
| Smith (Tyler) | 103 | 24 |
| Hidalgo (McAllen) | 58 | 25 |
| El Paso (El Paso) | 37 | 5 |
| Jefferson (Beaumont) | 28 | 6 |
| Fort Bend (Sugar Land) | 24 | 8 |
| Nueces (Corpus Christi) | 13 | 5 |
Dark part of each bar: reports of 1.75 inches or more. These are reports, so places with more people to see hail tend to log more. Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
What size hail can solar panels take?
Panels are certified to an international standard, IEC 61215, which includes a hail test: ice balls fired at set points on the panel. Sandia National Laboratories says a typical panel datasheet lists a 25 mm hail rating, about 1 inch.
The rating is low because of weak spots, not the glass itself. Sandia found that ratings around 35 mm (about 1.4 inches) come from hits at particular places, mainly the edges and the junction box. For a single hit on open glass, Sandia says panels are "much tougher than their qualification level implies."
Two things the rating doesn't tell you:
- It's pass or fail. The test checks for major defects and safety only, so it doesn't show how much margin a panel has. Independent labs run harsher hail tests, such as PVEL's Hail Stress Sequence and RETC's Hail Durability Test.
- Not all damage shows. Sandia warns that panels that look undamaged may lose output faster. NREL tracked panels near Golden, Colorado, hit by the 2017 storm: some had cracks in up to half their cells but lost under 4% of their power, and four years later they weren't wearing out faster than panels from the same batch with few cracks.
Does home insurance cover hail damage to solar panels?
Usually hail is covered, but the details decide what you get paid. Here's what to check, line by line:
TDI lists windstorm, hurricane and hail among the risks most Texas home policies cover. The exception is the coast: on the Texas coast or in Harris County on Galveston Bay, your policy might not cover wind and hail. There, the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) sells that coverage through local agents.
It can be a dollar amount or a percentage of your home's insured value. TDI suggests asking whether your wind and hail deductible is different from the one for other damage.
Replacement cost coverage pays to repair at today's prices. Actual cash value subtracts wear and age. As roofs age, some companies switch roof coverage to actual cash value, so check at each renewal.
Policies differ, so ask your agent in writing: are the panels covered as part of the house, does your dwelling limit include their value, and is hail covered for them?
Texas law treats the company that owns panels on your roof as the system's owner. Check your lease for who insures and repairs them.
Same storm, two deductibles
The Texas Department of Insurance's example: a home insured for $150,000, and hail damage to the roof that costs $6,500 to repair.
Percentage deductibles are why the policy matters as much as the panels. Look for the wind and hail deductible on your policy's declarations page, its first page, and work out what it is in dollars.
What to do after a hailstorm
Check the panels from the yard. Canadian Solar's installation manual warns that cracked or broken panels are a shock hazard, worse when wet, and that an array in daylight carries enough voltage and current to kill. Don't climb up, and don't touch a panel with broken glass.
Photograph the roof, the panels and any hail on the ground before anything is repaired. If your system has a monitoring app, a sudden drop in output can point to damage you can't see from below.
Most companies set deadlines for filing. TDI says some policies give you one year unless you can show good cause for a delay, and a TWIA wind and hail policy gives you one year from the date of damage.
Cover damage to keep water out, such as a tarp over the roof, but don't make permanent repairs. TDI warns the company might deny your claim if you do before it sees the damage. Try to be there when the adjuster looks.
Once it has everything it needs from you, the company has 15 business days to accept or deny your claim, in writing if it denies. It can take 45 more days if it tells you why. After a weather catastrophe, TDI can add 15 more. Once it agrees to pay, it must pay within five business days.
If you have replacement cost coverage, TDI says the payment may come in two checks: the first minus depreciation, the rest after repairs. If you have a mortgage, the check usually goes to your mortgage company, which must contact you within 10 days of getting it.
Before you install: hail questions to settle
- The roof under the panels. If hail ruins the roof, the panels have to come off for it to be replaced and then go back on. Ask your agent whether your policy pays for that, and think about the roof's age before you install.
- The panel's hail rating. It's on the datasheet. Ask whether the panel has been through a harsher independent hail test as well.
- Your deductible. Find the wind and hail deductible and work out the dollar amount, as in TDI's example above.
- A roof discount. TDI lists an impact-resistant roof among the things that may earn a discount. Ask your insurer.
Hail is a real cost to plan for in Texas, and the numbers on this page help you size it. For the other side of the decision, see whether solar is worth it in Texas and what it costs.
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Common questions
Can hail damage solar panels in Texas?
Yes. Large hail can crack panel glass, and Texas logged 12,919 hail reports from 2016 to 2025, more than any other state. But panels are tougher than their 1-inch rating suggests: Sandia National Laboratories found most survived 55 mm, about 2.2-inch, ice hitting the open glass, and NREL found one broken panel out of more than 3,000 after a 2017 Denver-area hailstorm.
What size hail can solar panels withstand?
A typical panel datasheet lists a 25 mm, about 1-inch, hail rating from the IEC 61215 test. In Sandia's research, most panels survived 55 mm ice hitting the open glass straight on. Hits near the edges and the junction box are the weak spots that keep ratings lower.
Does homeowners insurance cover hail damage to solar panels in Texas?
Usually, but check your policy. The Texas Department of Insurance says most home policies cover windstorm, hurricane and hail, except on the Gulf Coast, where the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association sells wind and hail coverage. Ask your agent in writing whether your panels are covered as part of the house and for hail.
What is a percentage hail deductible?
A deductible set as a share of your home's insured value instead of a dollar amount. In the Texas Department of Insurance's example, a 5% deductible on a home insured for $150,000 is $7,500, so a $6,500 hail repair to the roof gets no payment.
Can a roofer or solar company pay my insurance deductible?
No. Texas Insurance Code 707.002 requires the insured to pay the deductible, and TDI says it's illegal for a contractor to waive it or offer a rebate for it. Violators face fines up to $2,000 and up to six months in jail.
When is hail season in Texas?
Spring. From 2016 to 2025, 89% of Texas hail reports came from March to June, and May alone had 36%, according to NOAA's Storm Events Database.
Related guides
- Is solar worth it in Texas?
- How much solar panels cost in Texas
- Solar for Oncor customers
- Texas solar laws
- Texas HOA solar rules
- Free solar panels in Texas?
Hail counts are reports logged by the National Weather Service, not a measure of every storm. Insurance policies differ, so your policy's wording is what counts. Not legal or insurance advice. Sources: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database · NOAA Storm Prediction Center hail size table · Sandia National Laboratories, DuraMAT hail webinar, December 2023 (PDF) · NREL, hail damage imaging with multi-year follow-up, 2021 (PDF) · U.S. Department of Energy, May 15, 2017 · TDI homeowners insurance guide · TDI: what to know about deductibles · TDI: insurance and your roof · TDI: getting your claim paid · TDI: can a contractor waive my deductible? · Texas Insurance Code chapter 707 · Utilities Code 39.916 · Canadian Solar installation manual, U.S. edition 3.3 (PDF). Reviewed October 2026.
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