2025 Wind & Hail Season Survival Guide for Independent Adjusters

Part 1: How I’m Preparing While Waiting on the Deployment Call: Wind & Hail Adjuster

Hey fellow adjusters,

It’s Mike from AdjusterPrep.com. If you’re anything like me, constantly refreshing weather maps, checking deployment boards, and making sure your phone isn’t on silent, you know what time it is. The 2025 wind and hail season is here, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned in nearly two decades of adjusting, it’s this: the adjuster who prepares before the call always outperforms the one who waits for it.

This isn’t just another blog post full of generic tips. This is my real-life prep list. I’ve been that guy waiting in the slow season, car packed, ladder strapped, wondering if this will be the storm that sets off the rush. And I’ve also been that guy who gets the call at 2:00 AM, grabs a Red Bull and hits the road, because I knew I was ready.

If you’re a newly licensed adjuster hoping for your first assignment or a seasoned vet sharpening your axe, this is your moment. And this guide is for you.

1. What We’re Facing in 2025: The Forecast Isn’t Playing Around

Let’s start with what the 2025 wind and hail season actually looks like. If you’ve been watching the forecasts like I have, you already know: it’s shaping up to be a wild one.

NOAA’s early-season projections are calling for an above-average number of severe convective storms, with especially high hail potential across the Central U.S. Combine that with an El Niño-to-neutral shift in the Pacific, and we’re looking at volatile spring and summer conditions across Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas.

Already, hail storms have been racking up claims in north Texas and parts of Georgia. Roofing companies are working overtime, and major IA firms are starting to buzz. The CAT clock is ticking.

Here are the zones I’ve got my eye on:

• North and Central Texas: Always a hotspot. DFW could see several large hail events.

• Oklahoma and Kansas: Wind, hail, tornado alley—you name it.

• Illinois, Missouri, Iowa: Cold air clashing with moisture-rich systems will fuel activity.

• Arkansas, Louisiana, the Carolinas: With warming Gulf temps, watch for wind-driven rain events and tornadic storms.

So, if you’ve got licenses in any of those areas—or if you’re ready to work desk claims remotely—now’s the time to double down on readiness.

2. The Waiting Game for Wind & Hail Adjusters: What I Do While Others Just Watch

This part is personal. It’s that awkward stretch between submitting your availability and actually getting deployed. It’s tempting to just chill, maybe hit the gym, maybe not. But that’s not what I do. Wind & Hail

When I’m waiting on a call, I simulate deployment life.

That means I get up at my normal deployment wakeup time (usually 6:00 AM), make coffee, go over one mock claim per day, check my inspection kit, and make phone calls just to stay sharp on customer service language. I want to be able to hit the ground running, not warming up in the middle of game time.

Here’s a personal trick: I’ll pick a house in my neighborhood, walk or drive by it, and build a mental scope. Then later, I sketch it in Xactimate. Roof pitch? Style? Material? Is there fence or siding exposure? That kind of repetition builds confidence—and speed—when the pressure’s on.

So don’t waste your waiting window. Treat it like your training camp. AdjusterPrep was born out of this exact mindset.

3. My 2025 Deployment-Ready Checklist

Let me break this down for you. I go through this every season—this year’s version is sharper than ever.

Licenses

I double-checked my license status in:

• Texas

• Oklahoma

• Arkansas

• Florida

• Louisiana

  
  

  …and uploaded my renewals to every IA firm portal I’ve ever worked with. Don’t let an expired license take food off your plate.

Resume and Portal Profiles

I keep an Adjuster Resume on file - a single page that shows:

• Storms I’ve worked (hail, wind, freeze, hurricane, etc.)

• Estimating platforms (Xactimate Level 2, Symbility)

• My strong points (roof inspections, fast cycle times, clean file notes)

I copy and paste key points into my Eberl, Pilot, Alacrity, and Worley dashboards. Make sure they know you’re still active.

Certifications and Insurance

• Xactimate Level 2? Check.

• HAAG Roof Inspector? Getting renewed this summer.

• E&O Insurance? Renewed and certificate uploaded.

• Background check? Submitted via ClearStar in advance.

If a deployment manager pulls your name and sees anything incomplete—next adjuster up. Don’t let that be you.

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Coming up next in Part 2:

• My complete equipment checklist

• What I’m doing inside Xactimate this month

• Carrier expectations that have changed in 2025

• How I build a financial buffer before hitting the road