A heavy storm can cause severe damage to your property, especially your roof. Hail and falling debris can break your roof shingles, heavy rains can result in a pool of water on your roof that can result in leakage, and high winds can rip shingles right off of your roof.
These underline the importance of properly checking your roof for damage after a storm or even on regular days. In this article, we’ll be evaluating all the damages a storm can cause on your roof and how they happen so that you can find the best solutions.
1. Wind Damage
A heavy storm, hurricane, tornado, and thunderstorm can all cause severe damage to your roof. The strong winds brought by these phenomena can blow off individual shingles from your roof that, when incomplete, can lead to leaks.
Some powerful winds can even blow off entire roofs. That happens when there’s air pressure difference below and above the roof. Fast-moving air creates low pressure, while still air inside the house has high pressure.
That difference in air pressure results in a lift as the roof is pulled toward the low-pressure zone. That is also the cause behind bursting windows during storms due to high wind; the glass is pulled toward the low-pressure area since the home’s interior is in high pressure.
2. Hail Damage
Roofing materials generally sustain damage from hail that is nearly one inch in diameter. This damage can look like pockmarks or small dimples on the shingles of your roof. But hail can also break bits off the shingle and around the edges. Larger hail may even cause more severe damage.
Moreover, a short burst of hail can cause slight damage, but a sustained hailstorm can do much worse. Your roof might need extensive repairs or even an entire replacement. Furthermore, metal roofs are more weather-resistant than shingles. Still, large hail can also dent them, especially when they’re not of high quality.
The most common type of metal is steel roof, which is coated with zinc or zinc alloy that protects it from corrosion. On the other hand, copper is a soft metal that a hailstorm will definitely damage.
3. Damage to Shingles
Shingles are the most sensitive material in your roofing system, and so you need to ensure that they are well-maintained and undamaged. Check for signs of wear around the edges of your shingles, such as loss of granules and curling.
Shingles may need total replacement when damaged by falling debris or strong winds. It would be a good idea to check your local area’s wind speed before installing or replacing your roof. That way, you can protect them from acquiring severe damages and save yourself from expensive repairs in the future.
Conclusion
All roofs have a lifespan, and all of them will sustain damage over the years. The severity of the damage, however, depends on the quality of your roof. It’s best to always check your roof after a hailstorm, thunderstorms, or even high winds, which may have damaged your shingles one way or another.
5 Star Roofer offers roofing repairs and installation for commercial and residential homes in Birmingham, AL. We provide complete roof tear-offs, residential and commercial flat roofing, repairs, and installations with a 100 percent client satisfaction rate. We are committed to providing the highest quality of service in the roofing industry in every job we take. If you need a roof inspection for your home or office, call us at 205-858-9583 and schedule an appointment for free!