The short list for the fifteen minutes hail is falling: where to be, what to skip, and why the roof can wait. Everything else can be dealt with after.
A hailstorm usually lasts a few minutes to a quarter of an hour. During that window there is exactly one job: keep people safe. Property is an after-the-storm problem — and everything damaged while hail falls is exactly as documentable an hour later.
Do
Get everyone inside, including pets, and stay away from windows and skylights — large hail breaks glass.
Move to an interior room if hail is very large (egg size or bigger).
If you’re driving, pull safely off the road — angle the car so hail hits the windshield (it’s reinforced; side windows aren’t), stay inside, lean away from glass.
If it’s safe from a window, note roughly when the hail started, how long it lasted, and how big it looked. Thirty seconds of noticing helps later.
Don’t
Don’t run outside to move cars once hail is falling. Large hail causes serious injuries; a dented hood is a claim, a head injury is not worth one.
Don’t go on or near the roof — not during the storm, and not right after. Wet shingles and loose granules are how people fall.
Don’t stand in front of windows filming. Behind glass is not protected from 2-inch hail.
Don’t drive into a storm to "beat it home." Hail cores move; you can’t outrun what you can’t see.
After it passes, wait a few minutes: Hail often falls in waves, and lightning risk continues after the ice stops. When the storm has clearly moved on, start with our First 48 Hours guide — from the ground, in daylight.