Hail Season Returns to Avon: Roof Hits, Broken Skylights, and the Water Damage That Follows

As the Vail Valley warms through late May, the weather pattern flips. The quiet, dry mornings give way to afternoon thunderstorms that build fast over the peaks and roll down into Avon and Beaver Creek — and with them comes the season’s first hail. A single ten-minute cell can bruise a roof, crack a skylight, and drive rain sideways into a wall, and the damage often does not announce itself until the next storm leaks through.

This guide covers why hail and storm season arrives now, what to check on your home after a storm passes, and what to do in the first hour if water gets in. When a storm causes a leak, fast emergency response is what keeps a small breach from becoming a ceiling.

Why hail season starts in Avon in late spring

Two things change as the season turns:

1. Afternoon convection takes off. Warm valley air rises against the peaks, builds towering storm cells by early afternoon, and drops hail and heavy rain in short, intense bursts. Avon’s bowl sits right where those cells come down.
2. Hail does hidden work. Hailstones bruise shingles, fracture the protective granule layer, dent metal roofing and flashing, and crack skylights and vents. The roof can look fine from the ground while its waterproofing has been compromised — until the next rain finds the weak spot.

What to check after a storm passes

Once it is safe to look, walk the property and check:

• The ground around the house. Shingle granules washed into gutters and downspout splash zones are a sign the roof took hail.
• Soft metal for dents. Gutters, downspouts, vents, and flashing dent before shingles fail — they are your early-warning surfaces.
• Skylights, windows, and screens. Cracks and torn screens point to hail size and impact angle.
• Ceilings and top-floor walls, that evening and the next day. Fresh stains, bubbling paint, or a damp drywall smell mean water already got past the roof.
• The attic, if you can access it safely. Daylight, wet insulation, or water tracks on the underside of the deck confirm a breach.

Your first 60 minutes after a storm leak

If water is coming in, the first hour matters:

1. Contain it. Catch dripping water in buckets and move or cover anything underneath. If a ceiling is bulging with trapped water, relieve it from below into a bucket before it lets go on its own.
2. Kill power to affected areas if water is near fixtures or outlets.
3. Get a temporary cover up — safely. If you cannot safely tarp the roof yourself, do not climb a wet roof at altitude. Call for emergency tarping.
4. Document before cleanup. Photos and video of the exterior, the entry point, and every interior wet area, in good light.
5. Call for extraction and drying. Water that gets into insulation and wall cavities will not dry on its own — it needs to be opened up and dried before mold starts.

What DRS does after storm damage in Avon

Our Eagle County crews respond 24/7 to storm calls. A typical response includes:

• Emergency tarping and board-up to stop further water entry
• Water extraction and removal of saturated insulation and materials
• Moisture mapping with infrared and meters to find water that traveled inside walls and ceilings
• Commercial drying sized to the affected area
• Documentation — exterior and interior photos, moisture readings, and a scope of work your adjuster needs for a storm claim

Common mistakes Avon homeowners make after a hailstorm

• Assuming no leak means no damage. Hail-bruised shingles can hold for weeks, then fail in the next storm. A post-storm roof inspection catches it while it is still a repair.
• Only drying what is visible. The wet drywall you can see is rarely the whole story — water tracks along framing and pools where you cannot see it. Skipping moisture mapping is how mold starts behind a freshly painted wall.
• Waiting to document. Storm claims live and die on evidence. Photograph the damage before any cleanup or repair.

When to call a professional versus handle it yourself

You can handle a small, caught-early drip — a single ceiling spot, contained, with the source stopped — yourself. Anything beyond that — water across a ceiling, water inside walls, a roof breach you cannot safely cover, or hail damage you suspect but cannot confirm — is worth a professional inspection and, if needed, proper extraction, drying, and documentation.

If a storm has hit your Avon or Beaver Creek home, we can be on site fast. See how we serve Avon or request an inspection.