---
title: "What to do when hail cracks your windshield in Central Texas"
url: "https://sevenautoglass.com/blog/what-to-do-when-hail-cracks-your-windshield-in-central-texas/"
description: "What to do when hail cracks your windshield in Central Texas: photos, storm proof, repair or replace, insurance and how to avoid storm chasers"
content_signal: ai-train=yes, search=yes, ai-input=yes
---

# What to do when hail cracks your windshield in Central Texas

What to do when hail cracks your windshield in Central Texas: photos, storm proof, repair or replace, insurance and how to avoid storm chasers

When hail cracks your windshield in Central Texas, photograph the glass and save proof of the storm before anything else, cover any broken glass and open a comprehensive claim, since hail is not an at-fault accident. Small chips from hail can often be repaired; star breaks in the driver’s view or several impacts usually mean a new windshield.

Central Texas hail tends to arrive the same way: a spring afternoon goes dark over I-35, the storm lasts ten minutes, and every car in the neighborhood comes out with dents, chips and, on some, a windshield that looks like a spider web.

What you do in the next day decides how fast you get back on the road. Glass shops and insurers get flooded at once after a big storm, and drivers who have their photos and storm proof ready get through the line first.

*Take the photos before you move the car, while hailstones are still on the ground. A picture of the windshield next to a pile of ice on the hood is the simplest proof of what caused the damage.*

## What should you do first when hail cracks your windshield?

The first thing to do when hail cracks your windshield is to **document the damage and the storm, then protect the car**. Everything after that, the claim, the repair and the schedule, moves faster with those in hand.

- Photograph the windshield, every panel, the roof and the hood, with the date and location on the photos;

- Save a screenshot of the severe weather alert or the storm report for your area;

- Cover any shattered glass with plastic and keep the car out of the next round of rain;

- Check whether any warning lights for the camera or driver assist came on;

- Open a comprehensive claim and ask whether the glass and the dents go on the same claim;

- Book the glass first, since the windshield is a safety part and the dents can wait.

## How often does hail hit the Austin area?

Hail hits the Austin area most springs, and most often in April and May. NOAA’s [Storm Events Database](https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/) logged **418 hail reports in Travis, Williamson and Hays counties from 2016 to 2025**, and **259 of them, about 62 percent, came in April and May**.

CountyHail reportsReports of 1.75 inches or largerLargest hail recordedWilliamson203574.0 inches, September 24, 2023Travis152373.0 inches, September 24, 2023Hays63233.0 inches, May 9, 2024

September is the surprise in that record: all 63 of its reports came from a single storm on September 24, 2023. The National Weather Service treats hail of [1 inch or larger](https://www.weather.gov/bmx/outreach_svr), about the size of a quarter, as the mark of a severe thunderstorm, and golf ball hail at 1.75 inches is well past that.

*In spring, a garage spot or a covered deck at work is worth more than any car cover. When a severe thunderstorm warning names your part of town, moving the car under a roof for an hour is the cheapest windshield protection there is.*

## Can a hail-damaged windshield be repaired?

A hail-damaged windshield can often be repaired when the impacts are **small chips or bullseyes outside the driver’s direct view and away from the edge**. Large star breaks, cracks that run, impacts in front of the driver or many hits across the glass usually call for replacement.

Hail hits the outer layer of the laminated windshield, so a single strike often leaves a round chip that resin can fill. The problem is quantity: a windshield with chips spread across the driver’s side is harder to see through even after each one is filled.

Whether a particular chip can still be filled is covered in [when a windshield chip can be repaired](https://sevenautoglass.com/blog/can-your-windshield-chip-be-repaired-or-replaced/), and the sooner the resin goes in, the less chance the next hot afternoon turns a chip into a crack.

For a few isolated hits, a [windshield chip repair after the storm](https://sevenautoglass.com/service/windshield-repair-austin/) takes well under an hour and keeps the original glass.

## How do you prove the windshield damage came from hail?

You prove the windshield damage came from hail with **dated photos and an official record that hail fell where your car was**. The Storm Prediction Center publishes [daily storm reports](https://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/reports/) with the time, hail size and location, often down to a street intersection.

On September 24, 2023, for example, the reports for Georgetown list quarter-size hail along Leander Road and hail near Serenada Drive and Williams Drive. Times are in UTC, five hours ahead of Austin in daylight time, so an evening storm appears with an early-morning time on the page.

Pair that report with your photos, other dents on the car from the same storm and the alert on your phone. An adjuster who suggests the windshield had an older crack has a much harder time with a storm record and pictures taken that afternoon.

*Save the storm report page as a PDF or screenshot the same week. It is easy to find again later, but having it attached to the claim from day one saves a round of back-and-forth with the adjuster.*

## Does insurance cover a hail-cracked windshield in Texas?

Insurance covers a hail-cracked windshield in Texas under **comprehensive coverage, depending on your policy and deductible**. Hail is not an at-fault accident, and when the same storm also dented the car, ask whether the glass and the body go on one claim with one deductible.

If you only carry liability, the windshield is out of pocket. If your policy has glass coverage with a lower or no deductible, the windshield may cost less than the dents. How glass claims, deductibles and choosing your own shop work in Texas is covered in [what Texas insurance covers for windshields](https://sevenautoglass.com/blog/does-insurance-cover-windshield-replacement-in-tx/).

## Can you drive with a hail-cracked windshield?

You can drive with a hail-cracked windshield only when the cracks do not block your view and the glass is not caved in or loose. A windshield with several impacts in front of the driver is a visibility problem, and Texas treats a vehicle that is unsafe to drive as a misdemeanor, as explained in [the rules for driving with a cracked windshield in Texas](https://sevenautoglass.com/blog/is-it-illegal-to-drive-with-a-cracked-windshield-in-tx/).

Look closely at the area behind the rearview mirror. A hit near the forward camera can affect lane keeping and automatic braking, and after a new windshield the camera needs [ADAS camera recalibration](https://sevenautoglass.com/service/adas-calibration-austin/) before those systems can be trusted again.

*Hail damage also tends to show up in stages. A chip that looked minor on the day of the storm can run into a crack after the first hot afternoon or a cold front, so check the glass again a few days later.*

## How do you avoid storm-chaser glass crews?

You avoid storm-chaser glass crews by **choosing a company you can find again a year from now**. After big Central Texas storms, out-of-town crews knock on doors and work out of parking lots, then leave before any leak or warranty question comes up.

- Ask for a local address and a phone number that has been listed for years;

- Get the warranty in writing, including what happens if the windshield leaks;

- Do not sign over your insurance claim on a doorstep;

- Make sure the price includes camera calibration if your car needs it;

- Check that the new glass carries the DOT marking in the corner.

Skipping the camera step is one of the most common shortcuts after a storm, and what that does to lane keeping and braking is explained in [what happens if ADAS calibration is skipped](https://sevenautoglass.com/blog/what-happens-if-you-skip-adas-calibration-after-a-new-windshield/).

## How fast can a hail-cracked windshield be replaced?

A hail-cracked windshield can be replaced as soon as the right glass for your car is on hand, and booking the day of the storm puts you early in the line. Seven Auto Glass replaces windshields at your home or work, usually in about an hour and the same day in most cases, with camera calibration on the same visit when the car needs it, and works with all insurance companies.

After a hailstorm, the claim that moves fastest is the one with dated photos and a storm report from the same afternoon, and the windshield should go first because it is the part that affects safety.

Seven Auto Glass, Austin, TX

When the glass is past repair, [mobile windshield replacement after hail](https://sevenautoglass.com/service/windshield-replacement-austin/) can be done in your driveway while the dents wait for the body shop.

## Frequently asked questions about hail and windshields in Central Texas

These answers cover what Austin-area drivers ask after a hailstorm leaves chips, cracks or a shattered windshield.

### Can hail crack a windshield?

Hail can crack a windshield, especially stones an inch or larger falling with wind behind them. A single hit usually leaves a round chip or a small star break, and several hits or very large hail can crack or cave in the glass. Photograph the damage the same day to tie it to the storm.

### What size hail damages a windshield?

Hail about the size of a quarter, 1 inch across, is the point the National Weather Service calls severe, and stones that size and larger can chip or crack a windshield. Golf ball hail, 1.75 inches, and larger is far more likely to crack the glass, and Austin-area counties have recorded hail up to 4 inches.

### Will a hail claim raise my insurance rates in Texas?

A hail claim is a comprehensive claim, not an at-fault accident, so it is treated differently from a crash, but whether it affects your rate depends on your insurer and your claim history. Ask your insurer before filing, especially when the windshield alone costs less than your deductible.

### Should I fix the windshield or the hail dents first?

Fix the windshield before the hail dents, because the glass affects visibility, the roof’s strength in a rollover and the camera behind it, while dents are cosmetic. Both can usually go on the same comprehensive claim. Dent repair often takes weeks after a big storm, and the windshield should not wait that long.

### How long do I have to file a hail damage claim?

The time you have to file a hail damage claim depends on your policy, so check its deadline, but it is best to file within days. The sooner you file, the easier it is to tie the damage to a specific storm, and the less chance a later storm or a spreading crack confuses the claim.

## What decides how a hail-cracked windshield gets handled

How a hail-cracked windshield gets handled comes down to **how many impacts there are, where they sit and what your proof looks like**. A few chips outside the driver’s view can be repaired; impacts in front of the driver or a running crack mean a new windshield, ideally before the dents.

Picture a driver in Round Rock whose sedan sits outside during an April storm. The photos go out before the hail melts, the storm report shows golf ball hail two streets away, the insurer opens one comprehensive claim, and the windshield and camera calibration are done in the driveway two days later.