The Piedmont ledger: inland storm counts, trade associations and credential checks

The inland storm ledger, 2016 through 2025

Every figure in this table is a count of events recorded in NOAA's Storm Events Database for the ten years, county by county.

Three things stand out in the ledger:

• Wake is in a class of its own for hail. Its 93 events of an inch or larger are nearly three times Guilford's 33, and they amount to 93 of the 1,130 such events the same database records across North Carolina in the decade.
• May is hail month. Of the 1,466 hail events recorded statewide in the window, 594 fell in May, per NOAA's counts.
• The tornado calendar has two peaks. Statewide, September logged the most tornado events of any month (72 of 330), with May next at 59, in NOAA's database.

Current warnings and recent events are on the directory's North Carolina storm center.

The trade associations that operate here

Home builders. The North Carolina Home Builders Association says it was chartered in 1963, is based in Raleigh, and works through local associations. Its local association finder places these in the Piedmont:

Commercial contractors. Carolinas AGC is headquartered in Charlotte and counts general contractors, specialty contractors and service and supplier firms across building, highway and utility work in both Carolinas.

Roofers specifically. The Carolinas Roofing & Sheet Metal Contractors Association is the roofing trade's regional body. Its Master Installers Certification is aimed at roofing workers, foremen and supervisors: 16 credits earned over two years through one- and two-day classroom and hands-on sessions plus five supervisor-approved job shadows, then at least 2 credits a year to keep it. CRSMCA lists its affiliation with the National Roofing Contractors Association, whose own site offers a search for a nearby NRCA contractor.

Credential checks that cost nothing

1. State license. North Carolina requires a license from the NC Licensing Board for General Contractors on projects valued at $40,000 or more. Its search portal filters by classification, and roofing appears as the specialty S(Roofing) on the classifications page.
2. Insurance. The board advises requesting a certificate of insurance and confirming it with the party that issued it.
3. State rules in one place. The directory's page on North Carolina roofing licensing summarizes the state's requirements.
4. Manufacturer programs. Shingle makers run their own contractor credentials, explained on the directory's manufacturer certifications page.
5. The hail pitch. The NC Department of Justice warns that some roofers study weather reports and target neighborhoods that recently had storms, especially hail, and pressure owners into exclusive contracts.

Area pages

• The Triangle: Wake, Durham, Orange and Johnston, including the costliest hail on this ledger.
• The Triad: Guilford and Forsyth, with Greensboro's tornado record.
• Charlotte: Mecklenburg, Cabarrus and Union, where tropical remnants arrive as wind and flooding.

For Piedmont roofing contractors

The directory's free weekly newsletter, The Roofing Wire, includes a Storm Watch email of National Weather Service alerts for the states you select and a monthly tool giveaway. You can claim your company's listing and see the membership levels, which run Claimed, Verified, Gold and Platinum; at Verified, a person checks phone, email, website, logo, services, rating, insurance and license.

Frequently asked questions

Which Piedmont county records the most large hail?

Wake. Between 2016 and 2025, NOAA's Storm Events Database logs 93 Wake County hail events with stones an inch or bigger, 12 of them 2 inches or more; Guilford is next among the counties on this site with 33. See the Triangle page for the costliest storms.

Is a CRSMCA Master Installer certificate the same as a license?

No. It is a training credential from a trade association. The license comes from the state licensing board and is required for projects of $40,000 or more.

When is hail season in North Carolina?

Late spring. Of 1,466 hail events recorded statewide from 2016 through 2025, 594 happened in May, according to NOAA's Storm Events Database.

Where do I check whether a roofer is licensed?

On the licensing board's search portal you can look up a company, an individual qualifier, a license number or a city.