How do solar panels handle hail?

In Texas the skies always turn to that green look before a hailstorm... Then everyone heads for the safety under an overpass... Sometimes 20-30 cars under one overpass hehe...

Hail?

or

HAIL! ?

Pea size hail wouldn't present a problem. Golf ball size hail will not only shatter panel glass it will destroy the substrate beneath. Friends in Iowa sent pictures years ago of hail that ripped shingles off the roof, broke windows on the windward side of their house, ripped trees bare of leaves, and totaled out their one year old car. Sucker looked like it got the mumps.

I saw a photo of a Dallas rooftop covered with solar panels, after a recent (this past May?) hailstorm. The panels looked like a moon surface, with all the craters. What a mess. Maybe some are built with different glass coverings than others?

I always stow my panel if the forecast includes possible hail.

What are your chances of being in hail?

You'll likely just end up lugging around rarely-if-ever-used covers. Plus, storms are almost always accompanied by wind, so that's another problem: keeping them on.

If I were ever in such a situation I'd consider tilting my panels to the highest they'll go. Of course I'd have to factor in wind, but I've had them up in some pretty strong winds.

Most are very hail resistant

I have had hail damage to the trailer but never one of my panels.