6 Ways the Weather Impacts Your Roof and Home

Your roof takes the brunt of the weather that hits your home. Obviously, this impacts the life of your roof. 

However, there are multiple ways the weather affects a roof. In fact, the weather's effect on your roof can also impact your home’s health. 

Unfortunately, it’s usually not in a positive way. So, how exactly does the weather impact your roof? And what does it have to do with the rest of your home?

For over 30 years, Bill Ragan Roofing has helped homeowners understand the roofing problems that come with the weather-related events we frequently see around the United States. So, let’s break down how the weather impacts your roof and, in turn, affects your home’s overall health. 

By the end of this article, you’ll learn the following ways the weather impacts a roof: 

• Wear and tear
• Roof leaks during rainy weather
• Roof damage caused by extreme weather
• Hot temperatures in a poorly ventilated attic
• Cold temperatures creating moisture in your attic
• Ice damming during snow or ice storms

1. Wear and tear

The main way weather impacts a roof is general wear and tear from exposure to the elements as the years go by. Fortunately, this is completely normal, and every roof goes through it. 

However, the roofing material and workmanship determine how much it affects your roof’s lifespan. Extreme weather also speeds up the impact of wear and tear, but every city, state, and area has different weather patterns. 

So, it really does depend on how often severe weather hits your roof. Just know it only takes one extreme storm to shorten your roof’s lifespan. 

2. Roof leaks during rainy weather

The most obvious way weather impacts a roof is leaks during rain storms. Leaks are always possible during light or normal rain showers, especially if there are existing problems. 

However, most leaks show up during heavy rain storms. These strong storms bring hard, horizontal rain that sends water places it wouldn't normally go. 

This leads to water getting into or behind areas that aren’t meant to shed water, which causes a leak that wouldn’t happen under normal circumstances. There’s also a lot more water running down your roof that can easily turn into a leak if there’s already a small problem (like nail pops). 

If this happens, the excess water will make an existing leak more noticeable when the area becomes saturated.

3. Roof damage caused by extreme weather

The most extreme way weather impacts a roof is when it gets hit by straight-line winds, hail, tornados, or another extreme weather event. Straight-line winds with speeds of 60+ mph can tear off shingles if they’re not properly installed or reached the end of their lifespan. 

Hail is a big problem for asphalt based roofing materials, but it has to be large enough to cause visible damage. However, small hail will shorten a roof’s lifespan the more it’s exposed to it. 

If a tornado hits your home or the area around it, obviously, your roof will have extensive damage. While most of the country gets heavy storms in the Spring and Summer, it’s become very hard to predict with shifting weather patterns.

Luckily, homeowner’s insurance usually covers any damage if extreme weather hits your roof. 

4. Hot temperatures in a poorly ventilated attic

Proper attic ventilation is crucial to your roof’s lifespan and home’s health. For areas with high temperatures and humidity, a poorly ventilated attic creates huge problems.

If the temperature outside is 90°F, the temperature in your attic can get as high as 170˚ without proper ventilation. With no way for the trapped hot air to escape, your roof literally burns up, causing the asphalt shingles to crack, curl, and become brittle. 

Your roof is one thing, but poor ventilation also impacts your home. If the temperature inside your attic is 170˚F, the floor can get as high as 140˚F.

Not only does it make your upstairs rooms uncomfortable during the day, but It also means your AC has to work harder to keep your home cool. And with it working harder, your monthly energy bills will sharply increase during the hotter months.

5. Cold temperatures creating moisture in your attic

While it’s more noticeable in the summer, improper attic ventilation is just as damaging during winter. When the cold air in your attic meets the heat from the home’s interior, condensation forms on the underside of your roof's decking.

The wood holds onto the moisture, which eventually leads to swelling, becoming wavy, and rotting. The wavy look is bad enough, but it also affects your decking’s ability to hold nails and load-bearing capacity.

This leads to serious structural damage if it goes unnoticed for too long. The excess moisture also creates an environment for mold and mildew to thrive, which creates potential health hazards.

If mold and mildew aren’t bad enough, rotting wood is also perfect for termites and other insects.

6. Ice damming during snow or ice storms

Snow and ice storms don’t occur in every state, but the roofing industry can count on getting phone calls for ice damming when there’s snow on roofs. Ice dams are a common cause of roof leaks during the winter months. 

They form when snow and ice freeze at your gutter line (eaves) to create an actual blockage (dam). When the snow above the dam starts thawing, the water can’t drain down into your gutters.

The water then backs up on your roof until it eventually finds its way into your home, stopping only when it’s warm enough for the dam to thaw out. Unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do about ice dam leaks when they start. 

However, there are things you can do when replacing your roof to prevent ice damming leaks in the future. You can also lessen the chances of them forming with proper attic ventilation and by keeping your gutters and roof clear of debris.

What should you do if a storm damages your roof?

Now you know the 6 main ways weather impacts your roof and home. Just keep in mind that the roofing material type and installation quality determine how much it impacts your roof. 

Every roof is affected by the weather in some way, shape, or form, but the most concerning way is storm damage. This is simply because it’s more noticeable and you know when your area is getting extreme weather.

However, insurance is also thrown into the equation. Unfortunately, there’s plenty of confusion and stress for bad roofers to take advantage of when insurance work is involved. 

The only way to avoid this is by being as educated as possible about the insurance process. That’s why I wrote another article breaking down the things every homeowner needs to know about filing a claim for roof damage. 

Check out 7 Things You Need to Know About the Insurance Process for Roof Damage to go into the process with the necessary information and knowledge.