Wind damage to roof?

Your roof is designed to resist damaging weather conditions. But over time, as it experiences continuous exposure to wind, rain, heat, storm, etc, it starts to lose its strength. 

Strong winds is one such natural process that can cause severe damage to your roof. In 2020 alone, NOAA Severe Weather Database reported over 16,000 wind damage reports.

But bear in mind, the wind doesn’t have to be strong in order to cause such damage. Even a slow gust can easily raise the shingles off your roof, exposing your home to all kinds of rain & water damage. And the worst part, this damage won’t even be visible until it results in leaks and further destruction.

Old roofing systems are more prone to wind damage, but a new roof can just as easily be affected if not taken care of. And since it’s hard to predict the scale of wind damage, it’s best to hire a professional to inspect your roof after high winds or storms.

And in order to stay more aware of this situation, you should take a closer look at what types of wind causes roof damage:

1. Hurricane Winds

Hurricane-force winds are the kind of winds that have a speed of more than 74mph. Such winds, at a low range, can move loose items like debris, chair, and tree branches. At a high range, these winds cause major destruction. 

These winds are generally hundreds of miles wide, with the strongest winds near the eyewall. They max out around 200 mph and pound away at the building due to its long duration.

2. Tornado Winds

Tornado Winds speeds can be as high as 300 mph in the most violent storms. It covers an area the width of a few hundred yards to a mile or more. These intense winds can toss vehicles into the wind and rip off roofs to shreds.

Most times these winds are accompanied by big hail, giving your roof a double torment. And it’s said that if your house is anywhere in the path of an EF 1 or above tornado, you’ll most likely suffer roof damage.

3. Straight Line Winds

Straight-line winds come out of a thunderstorm but without the rotations. These include wind gusts of 100 mph or more and are produced by the downward momentum in the downdraft region of a thunderstorm. 

They can cause considerable property damage and are known for ripping off roofs, peeling back portions of the roof, breaking windows, and causing trees to fall onto buildings.

4. Derecho Winds

Derecho Winds are classified as a widespread, straight-line storm that extends more than 240 miles with wind gusts of at least 58 mph or greater along most of the length of its path. These winds consist of numerous microbursts, downbursts, and downburst clusters and can spawn tornadoes.

It can overturn vehicles and blow away trees and utility poles. Homes can easily become victims of falling trees and branches and broken windows. On certain occasions, these winds can lead to severe structural damage to buildings like the removal of a roof.

Wind damage to roof. How to Protect Your Home? 

If you recently experienced a storm in your area, you’ll have to hire a professional to inspect for wind damage to roof. They’ll assess the situation and determine the scale of damage caused. 

You can contact us for a free roof inspection, and we’ll help you track downwind damages and also guide you on how to prevent such damages in the future.