What Georgetown, Round Rock & Cedar Park Homeowners Need to Do Now
The storm hit Saturday evening. Here’s what happens next.
Saturday, April 18, 2026, around 7:30 p.m., a severe thunderstorm tore through Central Texas with quarter-sized hail — and in some pockets, hailstones the size of baseballs. The storm produced a swath of hail more than 30 miles long, starting north of Georgetown and tracking south through Round Rock, Cedar Park, and into South Austin.
Round Rock police reported significant property damage and isolated power outages. Photos from Georgetown showed hail completely blanketing parking lots. Windshields shattered. Vehicle exteriors battered. If it was bad enough to break glass on the ground, it was bad enough to damage the shingles and flashings on your roof — even if you can’t see it from the driveway.
This is a time-sensitive guide for homeowners in the affected area. It covers what the storm actually did to your roof, the 30-day action window, the 12-month insurance deadline (April 18, 2027), and how to avoid the storm-chaser crews that are already knocking on doors in your neighborhood.
What Happened: The April 18, 2026 Storm Recap
Here’s what the National Weather Service, local news crews, and our own field reports confirm about Saturday’s storm:
- Date: Saturday, April 18, 2026
- Peak impact time: Approximately 7:30 p.m.
- Primary hail size: 1.00″ (quarter-sized) across most of the affected area
- Maximum hail size reported: Up to baseball-sized in isolated cells
- Storm track: 30+ mile swath, north of Georgetown through Cedar Park, Round Rock, and into South Austin
- Confirmed impacts: Shattered windshields, dented vehicles, hail-covered parking lots, isolated power outages, broken window screens
- Preceding conditions: A strong cold front moved through Central Texas Saturday morning, dropping temperatures into the 40s and setting up the severe weather that evening
Quarter-sized hail is well above the threshold at which hail damages asphalt shingles. And when individual stones reach baseball-size, the damage extends beyond shingles to gutters, siding, vents, skylights, and HVAC condenser fins.
Neighborhoods Hit Hardest
If you live in any of the following areas, your roof almost certainly took hits on Saturday — whether you can see damage from the ground or not:
Georgetown: Hail blanketed parking lots along the IH-35 corridor and through subdivisions near Sun City, Berry Creek, and the downtown square. This was the northern anchor of the storm track.
Round Rock: Round Rock police confirmed significant property damage and isolated power outages. Neighborhoods from Forest Creek to Teravista to Brushy Creek saw the heaviest hail. Multiple reports of broken windshields throughout the city.
Cedar Park: The core of the storm tracked directly over Cedar Park neighborhoods including Buttercup Creek, Brushy Creek, Anderson Mill West, and the Cypress Creek area.
Leander: Western edge of the storm track. Travisso, Crystal Falls, and Savanna Ranch all saw quarter-sized hail.
Pflugerville and North Austin: Smaller hail, but enough to cause damage to older or aged shingle systems.
South Austin: The southern tail of the 30-mile swath reached into neighborhoods south of downtown. Lighter hail volume, but damage is still possible on vulnerable roofs.
Even if your immediate street didn’t see the worst of it, hail patterns are notoriously patchy. One block can be hammered while the next block over looks untouched. The only way to know is to have a trained hail damage inspector on the roof.
Why “My Roof Looks Fine” Is the Costliest Mistake
Here’s the trap: you walked outside Sunday morning, looked at your roof from the driveway, and it looked unchanged. No missing shingles. No obvious dents. You made coffee and got on with your week.
That’s exactly how thousands of Central Texas homeowners end up paying $15,000 out of pocket for a roof replacement 18 months from now that their insurance would have covered for free — if they had just filed within the deadline.
Quarter-sized hail damages asphalt shingles in ways you can’t see from the ground:
- Granule loss: Each impact knocks protective mineral granules off the shingle surface. The exposed fiberglass mat underneath starts baking in the sun — and Austin’s summer sun accelerates the deterioration dramatically (see our guide on how summer heat affects your roof).
- Mat bruising: The fiberglass mat underneath the shingle can be fractured by impact even when the surface looks intact. These bruises feel spongy to a trained inspector’s touch but are undetectable from the ground.
- Seal strip failures: The adhesive strips that bond shingles together can be broken by impact. Your shingles look fine… until the next windstorm lifts them like playing cards.
- Metal component damage: Pipe boots, ridge vents, and flashings often take the worst of the impact. Cracked flashing is a future leak point, not a current one.
None of this causes a leak this week. It causes a leak six to eighteen months from now — conveniently after your insurance claim window has started ticking down and potentially after the 12-month deadline has passed.
Your 30-Day Action Plan
The insurance claim process is easier, cleaner, and faster when the evidence is fresh. Here’s the order to work through this week:
1. Document everything at ground level. Take photos and video of every dent, ding, and broken thing on your property: your car, AC unit, mailbox, fence, window screens, and siding. This ground-level evidence proves a hail event occurred on your property — even if the roof damage is invisible from below.
2. Check your ceilings and attic. Look for any new water stains, especially around skylights, chimneys, and in the attic. If you see active dripping, read our guide on what to do when your roof starts leaking.
3. Schedule a free storm damage inspection this week. Not next month. This week. A trained Austin roof inspector walks your roof, documents every impact with photographs and measurements, checks the attic, and provides a written report — all at no cost.
4. File your insurance claim with the inspection report in hand. Claims filed with professional documentation move faster and settle higher than claims you try to document yourself.
5. Request the adjuster meeting. When the insurance adjuster visits your home, your roofer should be on the roof with them. This single step often makes the difference between a partial-patch settlement and a full replacement. See our guide to avoiding insurance claim disputes for why.
6. Don’t climb on your roof yourself. Ever. Hail-damaged shingles are slippery and their structural integrity is compromised.
7. Don’t sign anything with a door-knocker. More on this below.
The April 18, 2027 Insurance Deadline
In Texas, you have 12 months from the date of a storm event to file a property damage insurance claim. This is a hard deadline. The clock starts on the storm date — not the date you discover damage, not the date a leak finally appears, not the date you get around to it.
Miss the deadline and your claim is denied. It doesn’t matter how severe the damage is. It doesn’t matter that you didn’t know. The deadline is the deadline.
This is why a professional inspection within 30 days is not optional — it’s the foundation of your entire claim. A detailed inspection report creates the paper trail that proves storm-date damage even if the full consequences (leaks, interior damage, structural issues) don’t surface until months later.
If the inspection finds damage, you have a strong, timely claim. If it doesn’t, you have peace of mind and zero out-of-pocket cost. Either way, you win. Learn more about filing insurance claims in Texas and how to negotiate with your insurance company.
Storm Chasers Are Already in Your Neighborhood
By Sunday night — less than 24 hours after the storm — out-of-state crews started rolling into affected neighborhoods with magnetic signs, clipboards, and rehearsed scripts. By the time you’re reading this, they’re probably knocking on doors in Round Rock, Georgetown, and Cedar Park in force.
Red flags to watch for:
- Out-of-state license plates in the driveway
- No local office or physical address you can drive to
- “Free inspection” offers with immediate pressure to sign a contract on the spot
- Requests to sign an Assignment of Benefits (AOB) — this transfers your insurance rights to the contractor and leaves you with limited control of your own claim
- Prices that seem dramatically lower than local quotes (the work will be subcontracted to temp crews)
- Warranties from companies you can’t verify have been operating in Texas for 5+ years
When problems surface in six months — a leak, a wind-lifted shingle, a failed seal — these crews are gone. The workmanship warranty they handed you is worth the paper it’s printed on. You’re left paying a local Austin roofing company to fix their work out of your own pocket.
Driftwood Builders has been serving Central Texas since 2005. We’re GAF Master Elite certified (top 2% of roofers nationally), we carry a 4.9-star rating across 265+ reviews from your neighbors, and when the job is done, we’re still here. That matters when a warranty issue comes up three years from now.
How Driftwood Builders Handles Your Claim
Our storm damage claim assistance for the April 18 storm is straightforward and free:
1. Free roof inspection: We walk the roof, document every impact with photos and measurements, and write a professional report you can hand to your insurance company.
2. Claim filing support: We help you file the claim with the right documentation and language to avoid common friction points.
3. Adjuster meeting: Our estimator is on the roof with your insurance adjuster to walk every impact and ensure nothing is missed or understated.
4. Scope negotiation: If the initial scope of work underestimates the damage, we handle the negotiation. This is where most homeowners leave money on the table.
5. Installation: Once the claim is approved, most roof replacements are completed in 1–3 days by our trained, in-house crews (never subcontracted).
6. Supplemental claims: If we discover additional damage during tear-off — rotted decking, code upgrades, structural issues — we file the supplemental claim for the additional costs. You don’t pay out of pocket.
All of this is included. Your only cost is your insurance deductible. If you’d like to understand the overall timing, see how long a roof replacement actually takes.If you’re thinking ahead to prevention for the next storm, consider Class 4 impact-resistant shingles or metal roofing on the replacement — both qualify for Texas insurance discounts. And for full context on the rest of the 2026 hail season still ahead, read our Austin Hail Season 2026 guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
When exactly did the storm hit?
Saturday, April 18, 2026, with peak impact around 7:30 p.m. A strong cold front had moved through Central Texas that morning, setting up the severe weather that evening.
How big was the hail?
Primarily quarter-sized (1.00″) across the affected area, with isolated baseball-sized stones reported. Quarter-sized hail is well above the threshold for damaging asphalt shingles.Yes. Most quarter-sized hail damage is invisible from the ground. Granule loss, mat bruising, and broken seal strips all require a trained inspector on the roof to identify. See our guide on spotting hail damage.
How long do I have to file an insurance claim for this storm?
Until April 18, 2027. Texas law gives you 12 months from the storm date to file a property damage claim. Don’t wait — getting an inspection within 30 days makes the process dramatically easier.
How much does the inspection cost?
Nothing. Storm damage inspections are free. If we find damage, we help you file the claim and handle the work. If we don’t find damage, you have documentation showing your roof was intact after the storm — also valuable.
Will my insurance premium go up if I file a claim?
In Texas, a single weather-related claim generally does not increase your premium. Insurers differentiate between weather claims (outside your control) and other claim types. Your rate impact will depend on your carrier and claim history — but the cost of not filing (paying $15,000 out of pocket for a roof later) almost always exceeds any premium adjustment.
Was my neighborhood affected?
If you live in Georgetown, Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, Pflugerville, or anywhere along the I-35 corridor through Austin, yes — the storm track covered more than 30 miles and hail patterns are patchy, so one street can be hammered while the next appears fine.
What if a storm chaser already inspected my roof?
Don’t sign anything until a local, verified contractor takes a look. If you’ve already signed an Assignment of Benefits (AOB), you may still have a short cancellation window — call us and we’ll help you understand your options.
What’s the difference between hail damage and wind damage?
Hail leaves random impact patterns across the whole roof; wind damage concentrates on one side with lifted or missing shingles. Both are typically covered by Texas homeowner policies. See our full breakdown of hail damage vs. wind damage.
How do I schedule an inspection?
Call (512) 894-0129 or request your free inspection online. We’re currently prioritizing Round Rock, Georgetown, and Cedar Park homeowners affected by the April 18 storm.
Hit by the April 18 Storm? Get a Free Inspection This Week.
Driftwood Builders Roofing is currently prioritizing homeowners in Georgetown, Round Rock, Cedar Park, and Leander. We document the damage, meet with your insurance adjuster, and handle the full claims process — at no cost to you. The clock on your 12-month claim window is already running.
Call (512) 894-0129 or request your free storm damage inspection
GAF Master Elite certified. 265+ five-star reviews. Serving Central Texas since 2005.