Plum Forensic Weather & Hail Impact Report

Look, I’ve been replacing roofs out here for over fifteen years, and if there’s one thing I tell every homeowner in Plum, it’s that you’re sitting right in the bullseye of Texas’s worst weather. We’re tucked right in that corridor between the Hill Country and the Gulf, which means when those spring squall lines blow through—usually March through May—they don’t just give us a sprinkle. The warm, moist air from the Gulf slams into the cooler air coming off the plains, and that collision stacks up supercell thunderstorms right over our heads. Those storms love to drop hail the size of golf balls, and because we’re so flat and open out here, there’s nothing to break up the wind. I’ve seen straight-line gusts hit 70 or 80 mph that just peel shingles right off like they’re stickers.

And it’s not just the spring. We get a second nasty round in the fall, usually October into early November, when those cold fronts start pushing down again. The problem with Plum specifically is that we’ve got all these big, sprawling oak trees and open pasture, but the houses are often set back with big roof spans—lots of valleys and hips that catch the wind like a sail. When hail hits, it’s not just the impact that hurts; it’s the way the granules get knocked loose, and then the next hot Texas sun bakes those exposed mats until they crack. Combine that with the fact that our storms tend to come in fast and violent, not the long, soaking rains you see elsewhere, and you’ve got a recipe for roofs that look fine from the street but are already compromised. I tell folks all the time: if you hear that rumble in the distance, don’t wait for the insurance adjuster—call me first, because by the time the storm’s over, half the neighborhood is going to need a new one.