Calgary Hailstorms & Roof Repair: 2025 Data on Costs, Claims & Demand

In 2025, Calgary saw one of its most devastating hailstorms in recent history, as a supercell thunderstorm swept through during this year’s Stampede, hammering the region with golf-ball-sized hail.

Frequent hailstorms are nothing new to the area, with this part of Alberta known as “Hailstorm Alley”, but the scale of the destruction leads to many questions, particularly what it means for homeowners. Unsurprisingly, vehicle and roof damage are the two most prominent repair bills Albertans must face.

And with over $6 billion in damages over the past five years, where does this leave the scale of roof repair [1]?

Key Takeaways

- Calgary’s July 2025 hailstorm resulted in over $92 billion in insured damages, with most claims relating to property and auto insurance coverage.

- The 2024 hailstorm remains the second most catastrophic weather event on record, resulting in nearly $3 billion in insured losses and 130,000 insurance claims. It’s led to the cost of providing auto insurance coverage and home protection going even higher, with other forms of insurance like business insurance also seeing premium increases.

- Calgary home insurance premiums have risen in the aftermath of its destructive hailstorms, with policyholders seeing a 9% year-on-year increase in their premiums in 2025.

- Roof replacement costs range from $12,000 for asphalt roofs to over $100,000 for slate tile roofs.

- The costs of materials and labor for roofing repair and replacement have soared nationwide over the past few years, far past general inflation, with demand driving quotes even higher.

- Calgary’s aging housing stock and repeated severe weather events have led to an unprecedented era of high demand for roofing contractors, compounding the pressure even further for homeowners.

What is the Calgary Hailstorm of 2025?

On July 13th, 2025, a supercell thunderstorm blew into Calgary late in the evening, resulting in high winds of 90 km/h, large hail, and heavy rains. While the epicenter was Calgary itself, numerous thunderstorms of similar severity were reported across southern Alberta, per reports from The Weather Channel [2].

No deaths or injuries were reported from the hailstorm, as it passed over during the night and residents were forewarned. However, over $92 million in insured severe weather losses were estimated at the time [3]. This was an early estimate, and a substantial number of claims have yet to be settled, meaning the number could be even higher.

As with other hailstorms to hit the region over the last few years, the vast majority of claims pertain to vehicular and property damage.

How Does the 2025 Calgary Hailstorm Compare to Past Storms in Insured Losses?

The destructiveness of the 2025 hailstorm pales in comparison to the region’s most destructive storm. In 2024, a hailstorm pummeled northeast Calgary, resulting in almost $3 billion in insured damages [4].

In this case, the destruction turned out to be Canada’s second most destructive weather event on record, after it forced a long-standing renovation of Calgary International Airport to be fast-tracked. It’s estimated that one out of five homes in Calgary was damaged by this particular storm [5].

According to a CTV News report, over $11 billion in claims have been made in Alberta over the past two decades [6]. The concerning part is that just over half of these damages have occurred in the last five years.

How Have Calgary’s Hailstorms Impacted Home Insurance Costs?

Home insurance is what Calgarians use to claim for damage to their homes caused by hailstorms. Surges in the destructiveness of hailstorms have resulted in growing numbers of claims, which have driven up home insurance costs.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada reported that Calgary has been especially hard hit after two consecutive years of severe weather. According to their numbers, the province has seen a 29% increase in home replacement cost and a 73% surge in residential building construction costs [7].

Not all of these increases are down purely to the weather. Costs have risen generally alongside the country’s battle with inflation. Statistics Canada reported in its October 2024 Consumer Price Index (CPI) report that residential construction costs have risen 66% in the last five years, surpassing the 19% general inflation rate over the same period [8].

In this case, the increase accounts for everything a contractor factors into their price, including:

- Materials

- Labor

- Equipment

- Overheads

- Anticipated profit

Overall, home insurance rates in 2025 rose by 5.28% across Canada, but Calgary has seen weather-driven hikes of 9.07%. This is the most significant year-on-year increase in insurance rates in history [9].

A CBC report demonstrated how this has impacted residents on the ground. One homeowner reported that their premiums grew from $75 to $300 per month, whereas another homeowner was quoted $21,000 for an annual home insurance policy [10].

Unfortunately, more claims, the growing cost of carrying out repairs, and the increasing severity of storms have created a flywheel effect that shows no sign of breaking anytime in the years to come.

Hail impact on residential roofing costs

How Much Does a Roof Replacement Cost in Calgary in 2025?

Roof replacement costs in Calgary depend on a range of factors, including the size of your roof, the materials used, and the extent of the damage. For the purposes of this comparison, we’re assuming a total roof replacement.

According to a Nerd Wallet analysis, the estimated ranges for replacing a 3,000-square-foot roof in Canada today are [11]:

Roofing Material	Cost Range (3,000 sq. ft.)	Average Lifespan
Asphalt Roof	$12,000 – $21,000	15 – 25 years
Metal Roof	$21,000 – $90,000	40 – 70 years
Slate Tile Roof	$69,000 – $114,000	75 – 100+ years

Estimates rarely tell the true story, and a quick search will show you a range of figures for how much replacing your roof will actually cost. Plus, it’s vital to mention that not every hailstorm victim in Calgary will need to opt for a complete roof replacement. The costs of repairing issues like guttering, fascias, and chimneys will be much cheaper.

Factors Impacting Calgary Roof Repair Pricing

Shopping around between contractors will always get you a range of quotes to choose from, but one homeowner’s experience will differ from another’s because every roof is different. Understanding which factors impact how much it could cost to repair your roof will enable you to brace yourself.

So, what factors impact roof repair pricing, per a rundown from The Calgary Guardian [12]?

Roof Size

Larger roofs are bound to cost more because they require more roofing materials and manpower hours to repair. Generally, 2,000 square feet is a pretty good average to base your estimate on, as this corresponds to the average home in Calgary.

Roofing Materials

Your choice of roofing material impacts everything from your initial costs to how many years of use you can expect to get out of it. In Calgary’s case, the city’s history with hailstorms means paying more upfront now can deliver a greater return later due to lower damage and a lower likelihood of needing to make a claim.

Typically, asphalt shingle roofs are the most affordable option for homes, but metallic and slate tile roofs are better able to withstand the impacts of the region’s hailstorms.

Roof Damage

Calgary’s harsh climate is notorious for driving up annual maintenance costs. According to one source, single-family homeowners should expect to spend $300-$400 per month on maintenance [13]. Not only is this due to one-time hailstorm events, but also the general cost of winter.

Don’t just assume your costs will include roof damage itself. Particularly destructive hailstorms may also result in water damage that has to be rectified.

Roof Pitch

Roof pitch is one factor many homeowners don’t consider in their estimates. The steepness of your roof will influence your costs because of the extra safety measures that contractors must take. Flat roofs are the cheapest in this respect, with steeply pitched roofs requiring specialist equipment. Generally, you can expect a steeply pitched roof repair to cost up to 15% more than a moderately pitched roof.

Seasonal Labor Costs

Alberta’s climate means most roofing work is carried out in spring and summer. Although it is possible to repair your roof in winter, temperatures of -30 can quickly halt work, lengthening timelines and increasing costs.

The downside of spring and summer is the amount of competition between contractors. Likewise, roofing repair after significant hailstorm events will increase costs even further. It’s a market that leads to greater hourly rates, and it’s often why labor makes up a greater proportion of the overall cost of roof repair than in other parts of the North American continent.

Roof Age

The age of your roof matters even after the acute damage of a hailstorm. If your roof was already sagging and had multiple leaks, hailstorms usually worsen the damage exponentially. In many cases, homeowners have discovered in 2024 and 2025 that instead of repairing hailstorm damage, they’re repairing the whole roof.

In the worst-case scenario, extensive damage can also result in complicated structural work that goes beyond repairing and replacing the roof itself.

Storm damage increasing roof repair demand in Calgary

Calgary Roofer Labor Costs

Roofing is a specialist trade requiring highly skilled contractors comfortable with the dangers of working at height. Additionally, the person you hire must be able to meet local Calgary building codes.

The specialist nature of the trade means roofers usually earn an average hourly rate of $43, but this number can easily be more than double if you’re working with a specialist roof with more complex requirements [14].

Labor costs have spiked just like the cost of materials, as contractors continually increase their costs to preserve their profit margins. Although the roofing contractors industry is projected to reach $13.9 billion in 2025, this hides the fact that roofers still don’t see massive margins, despite growing costs for homeowners [15].

A report demonstrated that the profit margins of the industry have decreased to 8.4% in 2023, illustrating that most quotes are taken up almost entirely by the actual costs of doing the work [16].

How Have Calgary’s Hailstorms Impacted Roof Repair Demand?

Roof repair demand has always been high in Calgary because of the immense climate-related challenges homeowners face. Harsh winters are a standard part of living in Alberta that go beyond the usual array of one-time weather events.

Although there are no reports on how the previous two years have impacted roof repair demand, the growth in hail-related claims has led to more work for the roofing industry. Additionally, weather events aren’t the only factors in growing demand.

Calgary’s aging housing stock is forcing homeowners to commit to more maintenance, especially full roof replacements. Moreover, not enough homes are being built to effectively replace Canada’s housing stock. Currently, just two million homes have been built each decade since 1980 [17].

Unfortunately, the picture isn’t a good one. Provincial and municipal governments indicate that 20% of all homes are more than 80 years old, making up about three million homes. If we extend this timeline, around half of all Canadian homes are already over 60 years old [18].

It’s a combination that’s triggering record demand for roofing contractors, which will only translate to growing costs as time goes on.

Roofing contractors repairing hail-damaged shingles

How Calgary’s Hailstorms Have Impacted Insurance Market Claims

Insurance claims have seen dramatic increases as the province goes through a succession of catastrophic weather events. With climate change resulting in an increase in frequency and severity, Calgary is bearing the brunt.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada, with Aaron Sutherland, Vice President, has reported on the impact on the quantity of insurance claims. The 2024 hailstorm in Calgary triggered over 130,000 insurance claims, which ranks it as one of the most substantial claim volumes in Canadian history. Approximately half of all these claims were from Alberta’s auto insurance system, with half of all claims being total losses. It’s why Alberta’s auto insurance market has gone the same way as the home insurance market, although to a greater extent due to capped auto insurance rates in the province. Alberta auto insurers paid record sums, leading to a strained auto insurance market and record auto insurance rates.

Additionally, that particular storm saw nearly 60,000 homes in Calgary damaged, with most work expected to not be finished until the spring and summer of 2025. This was just in time for the 2025 hailstorm to hit, causing even more damage [19].

In the context of Canada as a whole, the Insurance Bureau of Canada stated that summer 2024 was the most expensive on record. Catastrophic weather events led to over 228,000 associated insurance claims, representing over $8 billion in damages. Approximately $4.1 billion was from Alberta alone, driving up general insurance costs [20].

Conclusion: Severe Weather, Insured Damage, and the Future for Calgary Homeowners

Calgary’s 2025 hailstorm season follows on from a record-breaking hailstorm season in 2024, which was the second costliest natural disaster in recent times. The figures show us that the frequency and severity of these weather events are growing, which has led to increased insurance costs, more demand for contractors, and more pain for homeowners.

Although this is set against a backdrop of rising material and labor costs and growing weather-related costs generally, Alberta is an outlier. Unfortunately, climate change ensures these trends are not about to ease or reverse in the years ahead, with homeowners expecting further hikes in roof repair demand and costs.

In the wake of this notable disaster in Canadian history, the insurance industry has proposed several insurance solutions to support homeowners. This includes a drive to improve hail notification services, better emergency preparedness and emergency management, and more cooperation with the National Industry Association to deal with increasingly frequent and damaging hailstorms.

Data showing rising roof repair costs after hailstorm

Calgary Roof Repair and Replacement FAQs

How much does hail damage roof repair cost in Calgary in 2025?

Costs depend on your roofing material and the extent of the damage. If we look at general replacement costs, this could vary between $12,000 and $114,000. Expect simple repair work to cost significantly less.

What should I do first after a hailstorm damages my roof in Calgary?

The first step is to take photographs of the damage and to contact your home insurance provider. Arrange a professional roof inspection from a licensed contractor to get a detailed assessment of the costs of repair and replacement.

How long do roof insurance claims take in Calgary?

Most roofing damage insurance claims can be settled within a few weeks. However, the process could take several months if your claim arises from a severe weather event, due to the sheer volume of claims being triggered at once. The same goes if there are disputes, which could result in legal costs and other expenses.

Will my premiums go up after a roof claim in Calgary?

Generally, you can expect your premiums to rise after a roofing claim. Hail-prone areas like Calgary often see significant hikes, whether you claim or not, because of the general market risk, fewer insurance coverage options, and the likelihood of a severe weather event triggering a claim in the future. The same goes for all forms of insurance, especially the province’s strained auto insurance system, where providing auto insurance continues to be problematic because of premium caps.

Can I get a roof inspection for insurance in Calgary?

Yes, roofing companies will offer professional inspections for insurance purposes. Many homeowners will opt for roofing inspections to support their claims and reduce the risk of their claims being outright rejected. It’s strongly recommended you opt for a professional inspection anyway to ensure your claim covers the full extent of the damages, and to avoid leaving you out of pocket.

Are class 4 shingles worth it in Calgary’s hail belt?

Class 4 shingles are specifically tested for impact resistance, including hail. In a hail-prone area like Calgary, investing in these shingles can protect your home. Sometimes, Alberta insurers may even offer discounts if you’ve got hail-resistant roofing installed on your home. Note that the Resilient Roofing Rebate Program is no longer available.

How do I document roof hail damage for insurance in Calgary?

As soon as it’s safe, take clear photos and videos of the damage. Don’t touch anything until you have this evidence secured to support your claim. You should then contact an inspector and use their report card as evidence for your home insurance claim.

Insurance claims for hail-damaged roofs Calgary

Is hail damage covered if my roof is older than 15 years in Calgary?

Full replacement policies will cover your roof if it’s damaged by hail, even if it’s older than 15 years. Depreciation doesn’t apply to these policies. However, if you have a prorated policy, depreciation kicks in, meaning roofs older than 15 years will devalue your payout.