6 Ways Weather Impacts Your Roof

Your roof is one of the most important parts of your home . It shields everything you care about from water, flying debris, wind, and even the temperature. If it’s in disrepair, your entire home is affected, and larger, more noticeable issues can start to spring up around your home.

Mostly, your main concern for your roof is going to be the weather. While other things can become problematic, the impact of weather on roofing is a constant concern that you simply can’t avoid.

So, today, we’re going to go over the 6 most important ways the weather can impact your roof and cause premature wear, tear, and damage.

Let’s get started.

1: Wind Damage

The wind is one of the biggest threats to your roof. While most of the other things we’ll talk about take a while to inflict meaningful damage, it only takes one windstorm to completely destroy your roof.

This is because of a few reasons.

First, high winds can damage your roof on its own . If you have a shingle roof, high winds can rip off loose shingles and open weak spots that allow more of the roof to be ripped off and damaged. This usually isn’t a problem, because high-quality roofs are made to withstand fairly high winds, but cheap, old, or previously damaged roofs can be damaged in this way fairly easily, and even a brand-new roof made to last can be damaged if the winds are strong enough.

Then, there’s the threat of everything that might be thrown around by the wind.

Debris such as fencing, lawn furniture, and similar things is often chucked around during extreme windstorms, and that debris can be sent crashing into your roof.

At best, flying debris can knock off shingles, and at its worst, that debris can break into your roof and create much bigger problems.

The wind can also knock down trees and large limbs over your roof and cause considerable damage immediately.

2: Hail

Hail is another weather condition that can potentially destroy your roof regardless of what condition it is in, and the damage tends to be immediately noticeable.

Hail is literally a flurry of ice balls falling at high speeds from the sky. Usually, hail is extremely small, and it’s no larger than a thick rain droplet. That’s unlikely to cause immediate roofing damage, but on occasion, hail can reach the size of a softball or larger.

That large hail pelts your house like thousands of large rocks flying off a skyscraper, and it can easily penetrate the roof, crush supports, and cause major damage.

There’s nothing you can really do to prevent hail damage, but it’s important to have your roof inspected after any sizable hailstorm . Like the wind damage we described above, the damage is immediate, and it can create the potential for other weather-related damages as long as it’s left unrepaired.

3: Water Damage and Leaks from Rain

One of your roof’s main jobs is to protect against rain. It does a great job of it, too. At least, when it’s made properly, it does. However, once rain is able to penetrate the roof, water damage starts to set in.

This can happen for a number of reasons.

First, wind or hail might create exposed portions of your roof where the water is capable of getting in, in a large enough quantity to cause noticeable damage .

Then, there’s simple aging. As the roof ages, gaps can form in shingles, shingles can fall off, wood can crack, etc. Once that starts happening, water can seep in and rot the supports and plywood backing.

When it comes to the impact of weather on roofing, this is actually one of the worst ways that the weather can cause damage . While the immediately noticeable damage caused by wind and hail is dramatic, it can usually be repaired instead of fully replaced. Water damage tends to spread unnoticed for a long period until your only option is to fully replace the roof.

Also, it spreads into the house and causes framing issues, mold, and other serious problems.

4: UV Rays in Sunlight

This typically isn’t a serious problem with modern materials in terms of short-term performance, but some roofing materials are susceptible to UV light and break down a lot faster in sunny areas.

This leads to premature aging , and while it’s unlikely that just sunlight will be enough to make you notice the need for a new roof, the accelerated wear and tear can make it easier for other forms of damage to occur.

Luckily, most modern roofing materials are designed to still have lengthy lifespans regardless of UV exposure.

5: Snow

Snow is a serious concern. Especially if you live in an area that is prone to receiving large amounts of snow every year.

This is for two reasons.

First, snow is frozen water . So, it can create the same issues that rain can. Except, because snow is solid, it tends to stick to the roof instead of instantly sliding off like rain does. That makes it even worse.  As the snow melts, it has more time to negatively impact your roof and create water damage.

Snow is also extremely heavy . So, when it builds up on your roof, it exposes your roof to far more weight than it was designed to hold. In really bad snowstorms, that weight can cause your roof to buckle.

6: Dramatic Weather Fluctuations

This is a major problem if you live in the Midwest or another temperate climate . The temperature, and the weather conditions, change quickly and abruptly.

In terms of temperature changes, the wood in your roof can swell and shrink quickly, and that can cause premature wear and tear. It can also affect the placement of shingles in small ways.

Beyond the temperature, your home can be hit with multiple forms of precipitation, which we’ve highlighted throughout this article, in just a day. That’s a lot of stress and abuse in a short period of time .

In comparison, regions with more consistent weather patterns can usually only worry about two or three of these issues being a problem.

Get a New Roof That Stands Up to the Weather

The impact of weather on roofing should not be underestimated. You need a high-quality roof that can withstand these weather conditions and provide you with unmatched performance for decades.

For that, Dana Logsdon Roofing & Solar is here to help.

We are a professional roofing company in San Diego and El Cajon specializing in roof installation , roof repair , and other professional roofing and solar services . 

Our roofs are built to last, so contact us today and get your free estimate!