Prevent Summer Storm Damage to Your Roof

In every state this summer storm season there will be damage to homes.  Wind, hail, lightning, and flooding that comes with severe thunderstorms is responsible for much of the damage.  Much of the structural damage will be minimal, but a few homeowners will experience large amounts of damage.  If you want to avoid being one of the homeowners that has serious damage to their home plan ahead and you’ll have a better chance of escaping the summer storm season with serious damage.

Thunderstorms can all cause damage, but severe storms are the biggest concern.  Severe thunderstorms are to blame for most of the property damage they are dangerous storms.  Around 10,000 thunderstorms are labeled by the National Weather service as severe every storm season. Tornados, large hail, high wind, and lightning can all be produced during these storms.

Hail is the largest cause of damage.  The most damage during severe storms is caused by hail this damage includes structures, vehicles, and crops.  More than a billion dollars in cost every year is estimated caused by hail.  On the bright side your home can withstand smaller hail many times without sustaining damage.  The larger the hail is the harder the hail stone is.  Hail that is as large as 1” in diameter can cause damage to your home.  Vehicles are not as strong and can be damaged by hail only .75” in diameter. Crops are the most easily affected, and may possibly be damaged by hail as small as .25”.

You have to plan for prevention well before you hear the patter of hail on your roof.  Your roof is the structure most likely to be damaged in the hail.  Quality roofing materials are important in standing up against storms.  Minneapolis roofing companies can tell you what materials are you best bet in surviving the storms.  Maintenance of your roof is as important as the materials you start with.  Regular, yearly maintenance must be done on your roof.

 After hail straight-line wind is the next most frequent cause of summer storm damage.   Severe wind is at least 60 miles per hour, though some windstorms can get as fast as 100 miles per hour!  Winds ranging from 60 mph and up lead to damage of your home and be incredibly dangerous. 

Tornados are severe rotating columns of wind as oppose to straight line winds.  About 1200 tornados take place every year according to the National Weather Service. Most of these tornados have winds of less than 110 miles per hour and are labeled as “weak tornados”.  These “weak tornados” luckily don’t cause many deaths.  What they do is cause a ton of structural damage. 

Severe wind  has the greatest effect on roofs and siding.   The damage to both of these areas can be reduced if extra effort is put in during the construction phase.  When deciding between Minneapolis roofing companies remember this decision will affect you and your roof for many storm seasons to come!  Your decking should be strongly anchored to your walls and foundation, this comes with a well designed roof.  This anchoring will stop your entire roof from being physically removed in a big storm!  Attaching your shingles to your roof is also important.  The best quality shingle poorly attached will still come up in a severe wind. 

 Maintaining the trees on your property is very important.  Dead and weak limbs could fall and cause damage to your roof in the next windstorm so they should be removed.  Removing these bad branches will bring down the chance your roof sustains damage in a summer storm.

Hail, straight-line winds, and tornados are all possible in a summer storm.  Minneapolis roofing companies can help you to find the materials that will best handle these storms.  Quality materials and a reliable roofer will best prepare your home to handle a storm.  Practicing regular maintenance of both your roof AND surrounding trees will also save you from the stress of storm damage.