Michigan summers bring more than lake days and cookouts. From June through August, the same warm, humid air that makes the season great also brings powerful thunderstorms, damaging straight-line winds, hail, and the occasional tornado. When a storm tears shingles off your roof or drops a tree limb through your garage, the first question is almost always the same: will my homeowners insurance pay for this? For most Michigan homeowners, the answer is yes — but the details matter, and a few common gaps catch people off guard.
Storm damage is the most common home claim in Michigan
This isn't a rare event you're insuring against "just in case." Nationwide, nearly half of all homeowners insurance property-damage claims between 2018 and 2022 came from wind and hail, with the average wind-and-hail claim landing around $13,500. Michigan sees its share: the state averages roughly 15 tornadoes a year, and since 2011 it has been hit by at least one billion-dollar storm event annually — with five separate billion-dollar storms in 2024 alone. The Great Lakes can intensify these systems, adding hail and high winds to ordinary summer thunderstorms.
That frequency is one reason Michigan home insurance rates have climbed in recent years. The upside is that wind and hail are core, named perils on a standard homeowners policy — so when the damage happens, you're generally covered.
What a standard homeowners policy usually covers
A typical Michigan homeowners policy (an HO-3, the most common form) covers sudden, accidental storm damage from named perils. After a summer storm, that ordinarily includes:
- Wind and hail damage to your roof and siding. Torn or lifted shingles, dented siding, broken windows, and damaged gutters from a windstorm or hailstorm are standard covered losses.
- Fallen trees and limbs. If wind brings a tree down onto your house, garage, or fence, the resulting damage is typically covered — and many policies also pay a limited amount (often around $500–$1,000) to remove the tree if it's blocking a driveway or has hit a covered structure.
- Detached structures. Sheds, detached garages, and fences usually fall under "other structures" coverage. Confirm these are listed on your policy — this is a frequently overlooked gap.
- Interior and personal property damage. If wind or hail breaches the roof or a window and rain damages your ceilings, floors, or belongings, that's generally covered under dwelling and personal-property coverage.
- Power surge damage. A lightning strike or surge that fries your furnace, TV, or appliances is often covered under personal property — though coverage and limits vary by policy.
- Additional living expenses. If the storm makes your home unlivable while repairs are made, your policy can reimburse hotel and meal costs above your normal spending under "loss of use" coverage.
What storm damage is NOT covered
This is where Michigan homeowners get surprised. Several common storm-related losses fall outside a standard policy:
- Flooding. This is the big one. Damage from rising water — an overflowing creek, storm surge, or several inches of water across your yard and into the basement — is not covered by homeowners insurance. Flood damage requires a separate flood policy through the NFIP or a private flood insurer. (We cover this in detail in our Michigan flood insurance guide.)
- Sewer and drain backup. When heavy rain overwhelms the municipal system and pushes water back up through your basement drains, that's typically excluded unless you've added a water/sewer backup endorsement — an inexpensive add-on most Michigan homeowners should seriously consider.
- Sump pump failure. If your sump pump quits during a downpour and the basement floods, you generally need that same backup endorsement (or a specific sump-pump rider) to be covered.
- Damage from long-term neglect. Insurers cover sudden storm damage, not wear and tear. If an adjuster determines your roof failed because it was already worn out or poorly maintained, the claim can be reduced or denied.
- Food spoilage (sometimes). A multi-day power outage that spoils a fridge full of food may or may not be covered depending on your policy and the cause of the outage — worth checking before you need it.
Understand your deductible — especially the wind/hail one
Even on a covered claim, you pay your deductible first. Many Michigan policies carry a flat deductible (commonly $2,500), but a growing number now apply a separate wind/hail deductible that's calculated as a percentage of your home's insured value — often 1% to 2%. On a home insured for $300,000, a 2% wind/hail deductible is $6,000 out of pocket before coverage kicks in, versus a $2,500 flat deductible.
If you're not sure which kind you have, check your declarations page or ask your agent. It's far better to learn this on a quiet afternoon than while standing under a tarp.
Before the storm: five things to do now
- Read your declarations page. Confirm your dwelling limit, deductible (flat vs. percentage wind/hail), and whether you have replacement-cost or actual-cash-value coverage on your roof. Older roofs are increasingly written on actual-cash-value terms, which pay depreciated value.
- Add the endorsements that fill the gaps. Water/sewer backup and, if you're in a flood-prone area, a flood policy. These are the two coverages homeowners most often wish they'd had.
- Document your home. Walk through with your phone and record video of each room and your belongings. Store it in the cloud so it survives even if your home doesn't.
- Maintain the property. Trim dead branches near the house, clean gutters, and address a tired roof before a claim — not after.
- Know your agent's number. Save it in your phone now so you're not searching for it in the dark.
After a storm: how to file a Michigan claim
- Make sure everyone is safe first. Stay away from downed power lines and structurally compromised areas.
- Document the damage before you clean up. Photograph and video everything — roof, interior, belongings, the fallen tree — from multiple angles.
- Make temporary repairs to prevent further damage. Tarp the roof, board a broken window, move belongings out of the wet. Keep receipts — these reasonable mitigation costs are usually reimbursable. Don't make permanent repairs until the adjuster has seen the damage.
- Call your agent or insurer promptly. After a widespread storm, adjusters get busy fast; filing early gets you in line.
- Be cautious with storm-chasing contractors. After every big Michigan storm, out-of-town "roofers" go door to door. Get everything in writing, verify licensing, and never pay in full up front. When in doubt, call your agent first.
The bottom line for Michigan homeowners
Your homeowners policy is built to handle the storms Michigan summers throw at it — wind, hail, fallen trees, and the damage they cause are core covered perils. The losses that catch people off guard are the excluded ones: flooding, sewer backup, and sump-pump failure, plus the sting of a percentage-based wind/hail deductible. The fix is simple and cheap compared to the risk: review your declarations page before storm season peaks, add the one or two endorsements that close your biggest gaps, and know exactly who to call when the sky turns green.
Not sure what your current policy actually covers? That's exactly the kind of review our Michigan-licensed agents do every day — no cost, no obligation. We'll read your policy in plain language and tell you where you stand before the next storm rolls in off the lake.