How To Protect Your Roof From Wind Damage
When it comes to protecting your roof from the consequences of wind damage, you can do more than crossing your fingers and hoping for the best. Heres what you can do to protect your property from the wind:
- Trim the trees. Trim weak branches off of nearby trees. Strong winds may cause the branches to break into two and fall onto your roof or get blown onto your roof.
- Move outdoor furniture & items indoors when storms are coming. Outdoor furniture shouldnt stay outdoors in strong winds. The wind can carry them away or worse dump them onto your roof.
- Perform regular roof maintenance. The better condition your roof is in when storms and wind arrive, the better the chance youll avoid damage.
Signs Of Wind Damage On Asphalt Shingle Roofs
Some signs of roof wind damage are more obvious than others. After a severe weather event, significant wind damage to a roof may be highly visible, such as:
- A puncture from afallen tree limb
- Large swatches ofexposed underlayment where shingles have been blown off
- Mangled or missingsections of flashing, or
- Missing hip and ridgeshingles
Other signs may be subtler, but you can spot them if you know what to look for both indoors and out. As always, keep safety in mind with anything you do and wear appropriate protective gear. If you are unable to safely check your homes exterior or interior for signs of roof damage, please contact a professional roofing contractor.
What Should You Do If Your Roof Is Damaged Due To Wind
To mitigate the damage done by wind, you need to act fast. If you fail to act fast, the damage will gradually spread to the rest of the shingles, and eventually, impact your roofs underlying structure. Heres what you need to do in case your roof is damaged due to the wind.
Note: Its important not to attempt to repair a roof yourself. The repair work should be done by professionals who know what to do, and who can do it safely.
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Wind Damage To Your Roof
In 2020 there were over 16,000 wind damage reports, as reported by the NOAA Severe Weather Database.
Was your property among those that got hit?
Depending on your roof type, strong winds can wreak absolute havoc on your roof.
On the ground during several of this year’s severe wind events, we saw this damage up close and personal.
Today we’re going to discuss roof wind damage and help you understand steps you can take if it happened to you.
We’re going to look at questions like:
- What types of winds can cause roof damage?
- How does wind damage a roof?
- What does roof wind damage look like?
- What do I do if I have wind damage?
Let’s dive right in.
Do You Have Wind Damage On Your Roof
If you would like to assess the roof yourself after a storm, utilize this checklist created by one of our preferred asphalt roof shingles manufacturers, Owens Corning. This checklist will help ensure you review all areas at risk for potential damage. .
If you saw these signs of wind damage on your roof, reach out to your local roofing contractor and schedule a roof inspection. If you live in the greater Charlotte, NC area give Signature Exteriors a call today for a free roof evaluation. We will also happily assist you with filing an insurance claim, should you decide to go that route. We pride ourselves in our work and would be honored to be your preferred roofing contractor in the Charlotte, NC, market. Give us a call today at 729-4898 or email us at com, and one of our team members will be happy to assist you.
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Solutions To Wind Damage
While routine, scheduled inspections are one of the best ways to keep your roof performing at its best, they will mean very little if you ignore your roof after a storm or significant wind event. If you wait for your next scheduled inspection, small problems caused by the wind can grow into large, costly issues. Save your roof and your money by assessing and repairing the damage immediately.
Experienced high winds in your area? Contact the professionals at Tidewater Roofing to inspect your commercial roof today!
How Wind Affects Roof Storm Damage
High winds and dangerous storms are a common sight in Florida year after year residents deal with hurricane season and the threat it poses to their home and roof. Hurricanes are incredibly destructive and can cause extensive damage to all parts of your roof. From torn shingles, ripped gutters, and even debris flying into your roof, there is no shortage of threats to your roof during a hurricane. The strong winds of a hurricane have attributes that can really increase the damage done to roofing systems. There are many considerations that are made when designing roofing systems for commercial and residential roofing and the types of materials that are going to be placed on a roof. Roofing manufacturers take these attributes into consideration when trying to prevent roof storm damage.
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Hire A Colorado Roofing Contractor
If your roof has experienced wind damage or is needing an inspection after heavy winds or a storm, call a local Colorado roofing company. At 970 Services, we are licensed and insured roofing contractors with plenty of experience in repairing roof damages caused by wind. Colorado homes on the Front Range get a lot of special attention when the high winds come through since many of them are affected by wind damages.
Insurance companies typically cover wind damage to roofs! Well work with your insurance company to ensure that you pay less out-of-pocket costs.It sometimes takes an expert to inspect and discover wind damages that have troubled your roof. If you give us a call today, well inspect your roof at no cost. We will repair your roof from these damages and prevent wind damages from affecting your roof in the future. Dont let the winds destroy your home!
Get The Best Roof For High Wind Storms:
What high wind speed can a roof withstand?
Newer, modern or recently installed roofs are rated to withstand winds up to 90 miles per hour. Some roofing materials are rated up to 150 miles per hour. This product is ideal if you are particularly concerned about damage from wind or tornadoes.
However, you can start to see damage with winds as low as around 50 miles per hour, especially if your roof is older or installed improperly. After every major storm with sustained high winds, do a visual check of your roof to see if it appears you have any damage, no matter the actual velocity of the winds.
What type of roof is the strongest against high wind storms?
Both fiberglass shingles and clay shingles can be a strong choice when looking for a roof that can handle high winds. When installed properly, several options can be rated at 150 miles an hour. However, these options can have drawbacks. For examples, winds can damage clay shingles, or they can break off during high winds and become dangerous projectiles.
For overall durability, metal roofing is one of the best roofing materials to consistently sustain high winds for the duration of the life of the roof. Metal roofing has less seams and overlaps than other roof options. In addition, it has fewer places for wind and water to get underneath the roof, making it a great option for high-wind or tornado prone areas. Most metal roofs are rated at 150 miles per hour.
Best roof shape for high wind storms?
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What Is The Best Roof For High Winds
There are tons and tons of different roofing materials some are better for fire-resistance, some are better for heat conduction, and some withstand water and high winds better than others. This is not to say if you dont have one of these roofs, you are guaranteed to receive damage during high winds. But across the industry, we consistently hear of a few that are highly recommended in areas prone to severe weather, and especially hurricanes.
If you want a roof that is going to withstand high winds the best, you will want to consider asphalt shingles, concrete or slate tiles, a metal roof, or wood shakes. We go more in-depth on these and other materials in our Roofing Materials guide. But here are a few details of how these roofs stand up again high winds.
Asphalt shingles come highly recommended for areas prone to high winds, Tornadoes, and Hurricanes. FEMA has crafted unique installation methods for installing asphalt shingles that best ensure they hold up. You can find those instructions here. Some premium quality asphalt shingles, like those from GAF, can actually withstand winds up to 110 mph.
Metal roofing comes in a few different versions that are specifically designed to shed water and allow wind to roll right over it. Whether you install a water-shedding or a standing seam metal roof, both can continually protect your home from damage and water leaks throughout severe weather.
Examples Of Roof Damage From High Winds
A number of problems can develop as a result of a storm. A common issue is wind uplift, which happens when wind exerts an upward force on roofing materials. Several characteristics of this type of damage can be identified through an inspection:
- The presence of wrinkles or bubbles
- The appearance of missing shingles or sheeting
- The rotting of underlying wood
- The damage of flashing or fascia
Wind scouring is also a possibility. This often occurs over time due to a cumulation of wind power. It involves the removal of protective granules or gravel from the roofs surface, decreasing the lifespan of the roof.
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Mastering Roof Inspections: Wind Damage Part 3
The purpose of the series Mastering Roof Inspections is to teach home inspectors, as well as insurance and roofing professionals, how to recognize proper and improper conditions while inspecting steep-slope, residential roofs. This series covers roof framing, roofing materials, the attic, and the conditions that affect the roofing materials and components, including wind and hail.
UPLIFT
One of the destructive forces created by wind is uplift, which is the tendency of materials to be lifted into a wind-created vacuum. Uplift can be created by either of two physical conditions: loss of laminar flow, or increased wind speed. Both of these processes reduce the air pressure immediately above the roof-covering material.
Laminar Flow
Air flowing close to a surface is in a state called laminar flow. According to the laws of physics, flowing air will try to maintain contact with a surface. When that surface bends or curves sharply, the air flow cant turn quickly enough to maintain contact, and it separates from the surface. We say that it loses laminar flow. This creates a vacuum, and anything that can move will be lifted up into that vacuum, if the vacuum is strong enough.
Damage Location
Uplift can develop when wind blows across a roof.
The location of damage on a home will be affected by the orientation of the wind to the roof structure, and by the shape of the roof. In these illustrations, areas of uplift are shown in blue.
Positive Pressure
Inflation
What Are Architectural Roofing Shingles
Also known as laminated or dimensional shingles, architectural roofing shingles are among the highest quality roofing products made. Traditionally, they are composed of a heavy fiberglass mat base and ceramic-coated mineral granules that are tightly embedded in carefully refined, water-resistant asphalt.
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Signs Your Roof Was Damaged By Strong Winds
Just because a storm wasnt a tornado or hail does not mean you didnt sustain roof damage. In fact, high winds are one of the top causes of roof damage. And while most roofs are built to withstand at least 60 mph winds, even a typical thunderstorm can bring damaging winds with gusts far higher than that.
If this makes you nervous, dont be. Wind damage can be spotted easily and dealt with quickly to protect your home from future storms. This guide will help you spot wind damage and know what to do if you find it.
Can 1 Inch Hail Cause Damage To A Roof
Yes! In fact, even hail smaller than 1 inch can cause damage to a roof or to other areas of your house. After a hailstorm, the size of the hail can be the easiest indicator as to what types of damage you may face. While not a foolproof method for predicting storm damage, understanding the various sizes of hail and how they affect your home is a great place to start.
¾ Hail
Though the smallest hail we measure, ¾ hail can still be damaging depending on accompanying wind speeds. Hail this size typically damages vinyl siding, window screens, metal fascia and paint on a deck. We also see it dislodge granules from asphalt shingles and damage gutters and downspouts. Because of its smaller size, property owners often fail to identify the damages associated with hail under one inch.
1 Hail
Once we hit the 1 mark, we start to see bruising to shingle underlayment and significant damage to siding, gutters and fascia. Wind speeds will determine the severity of damage, and you will also see roof damage similar to damage caused by smaller sizes of hail.
1¼ Hail
With only a ¼ increase, the severity of this size of hail is much more significant. Parts of your property exposed to hail have the potential to look like swiss cheese. Even without wind, well see this hail cause damage by simply falling out of the sky.
1½ Hail
1¾ 2 Hail
2 Hail
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Choosing A Roof Contractor
After any storm, there will be fly-by-night outfits going door to door and claiming they are legitimate roofing companies. Most of the time, they do the work quickly and get out of town even faster before you have a chance to address any issues or problems, leaving you little recourse. Always ask to see their business licenses, proof of insurance, certifications, permanent business address and Better Business Bureau rating.
A reputable roofing contractor should be based locally and have a history of being in business in one location. They should also be able to help you with your insurance claim and know what is covered, what is excluded, and how to help prevent you from spending more than your deductible out-of-pocket. More importantly, the roofing contractor should ensure that everything on the claim is clearly and specifically identified as legitimate damage related to a storm, so that youre protected against insurance fraud and its heavy penalties.
What Is Roof Wind Damage And How To Spot It
Wind can cause damage to my roof?! Unfortunately, this is true.
Roofs can be damaged in a multitude of ways from natural disasters to environmental occurrences. High winds can damage your roof even without storms or hail.
In Colorado, we get a lot of high winds coming and going throughout the year. These winds tend to be quite strong and come in gusts.
When the winds are strong enough, they can uplift your homes shingles, rip apart materials, or drag other debris onto your roof which leads to further damages . Strong enough winds can do even more damage than just ripping a few shingles off.
This is called wind damage.
Wind damage to your roof is something that nature takes into its own hands. In the mid-west, many homes are affected by high winds, causing the shingles to become loose or fall off. Asphalt shingles take the heaviest blow when high winds come. When damage from wind occurs, your roof is no longer protecting the entirety of your home.
Roof wind damage can lead to leaks and other problems with your home, which well discuss further.
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Possible Signs Of Wind Damage To A Roof
Some possible signs of wind damage to a roof include:
- Debris on the roof .
- Missing, loose, or curling shingles. This is most often the case along the roofs edges, corners, and flashing.
- Lifted, cracked, buckled, or separated flashing, especially around the chimney.
- Dented, loose, or fallen rain gutters.
- Missing shingle granules, or granules collected in the rain gutters.
- Leaky roof. Check your top-floor ceilings or attic.
Find The Best Roof For High Wind Damage
Oklahomans know a few things about high winds. After all, our state isnt smack dab in the middle of tornado alley for nothing. Even if we dont get the full-blown impact of an actual tornado, we also win the prize of having lots of thunderstorms that can cause high wind roof damage. Our state song even talks about our famous winds sweeping down the plains.
These high-wind storms pack a punch with gusts often topping 110 miles an hour. Winds like this will have you cleaning up downed tree limbs, retrieving patio furniture that visited the neighbors and trampolines that acted more like parachutes. And, thats all before you see what might have happened to your roof.
In Tulsa, its a priority to understand what materials withstand the highest Oklahoma winds. Here are some answers to some commonly asked questions to make sure you understand how to protect your home from high wind damage.
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What Wind Speed Can A Roof Withstand
Wind damage is a looming threat all homeowners should be aware of. But it’s important to know when your home is actually in danger from high winds and gusts. The wind speeds your roof can withstand depend on a few factors.
Typically, shingle roofing is graded to protect against speeds up to 60 MPH. But if you live in a hurricane or tornado-prone region, you might have a roofing material that can withstand speed up to 150 MPH. These are usually made of metal roofing material.
