Can hail damage solar panels?
Panels are built to take hail, up to a point. Here's where that point is, and what to ask if you live where big hail falls.
Yes, large hail can crack panels. The certification test most panels pass (IEC 61215) fires 25 mm ice balls, about one inch, at 23 m/s. The testing lab PVEL has not seen glass break at that level, but in its lab glass breakage can occur with hail of 45 mm and larger. In NOAA records for 1955–2019, about 68% of US hail reports were 25 mm or smaller (PVEL hail white paper).
What the standard test covers
- IEC 61215 minimum: 25 mm ice balls at 23.0 m/s, struck in 11 places. PVEL calls this sufficient for regions without severe hail.
- Tougher tests exist. PVEL's own sequence uses 50 mm ice at 32 m/s and an expanded 50 mm at 40 m/s. It recommends expanded testing for projects in regions prone to severe hail.
- Cracks you can't see. Panels whose glass survives can still get cracked cells and lose output. PVEL measured 1.1–3.4% power loss on panels after its hail sequences.
How big US hail gets
From the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database, as summarized by PVEL: about 68% of hail reports were 0–25 mm, 25% were 25–45 mm, 3% were 46–50 mm, more than 1% were 51–55 mm and 4% were over 56 mm.
If you live in hail country
- Ask for the panel's hail rating in the quote: which test, what ice size and speed.
- Read the panel warranty for what it says about weather damage; manufacturer warranties usually cover defects, not storms.
- Call your insurer before you install. See does home insurance cover solar panels.
- After a storm, compare production with the same week last year in the monitoring app; a drop can mean cell damage you can't see.
Fire safety on the roof
The National Electrical Code (NFPA 70, section 690.12) requires solar systems on buildings to have a rapid shutdown function, so firefighters can cut voltage in the conductors on the roof. Systems installed under current codes have it; ask the installer which rapid shutdown equipment the quote includes and where the switch will be.
Run your own numbers
Enter your ZIP and bill to see what a system would cost and save where you live.
Keep reading
- Disadvantages of solar panels — Nine downsides to weigh before you sign, with numbers from real tariffs.
- Solar on cloudy days, at night and in winter — How much output drops by season in each city, and what happens after dark or in an outage.
- How long solar panels last — Lifespan, how much output drops each year, and what a 7 kW system still makes in year 25 in each city.
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Updated 2026-09-22.