What Weather Decides If You Need Roof Replacement?

What Weather Decides If You Need Roof Replacement? If you need roof repair, the only problem that you’re thinking about is the one that you’re having right now. If rain is getting into your house and damaging the ceiling, you probably aren’t really concerned with how long roofs last in Georgia. All you know is that you need a roof repair or replacement and you need it now!

But the roofing problem you have might not be the same one as the person down the street who just called their local roofer. Roofs can fail for any number of reasons, and that what we’re talking about today. Here are the most common types of weather that caused the need for roof repair and replacement here in the Dahlonega area.

Wind

What’s the number one cause of roof damage? Wind. (And we’re not even talking about tornadoes yet; they’re categorized separately and we’ll talk about them below.)

Why is wind so damaging? Mainly because of the way in which shingles operate. When you think about the way that traditional asphalt shingles work, the lower shingles are put on first. The roofer works his or her way up from there, placing the flap from the next shingle over the first in order to protect it. This ensures that the rainwater running down the roof never comes in contact with the underlying layers. Unfortunately, a strong wind can negate this protection and lift the shingles, especially if the wind is particularly strong or if the shingles are old and working loose. Winds blow from the sides, which pushes water up under the shingles. Of course, it can also tear shingles right off the roof. If it’s a fairly new roof, you might just need some shingle replacement. If many of the shingles are torn off in the wind, it’s probably time for roof replacement. Putting wind and rain together — such as during a hurricane — means that certainly leads to a lot of roofing problems.

There’s another way in which wind can damage a roof: falling trees. The wind blows over falling trees and can damage a roof. When this happens, it’s seldom just the shingles in need of repair. Falling trees also strip siding, break windows, and punch holes down to the attic. Roofing Resources of Georgia is more than happy to deal with your roof repair when this happens.

Tornadoes

How does Georgia compare to other states in terms of tornados? Georgia is one of the most tornado-prone states out there, hosting about 30 per year. While other states might have more tornadoes, Georgia has more tornadoes per square mile than Texas! In fact, back in 2017, there was a point in the year where Georgia had more tornadoes than Texas as a whole.

Remember up above when we said that your roof problem might not be the same as that of your neighbor down the road? Tornado damage is a good example of this disparity. It’s possible that you might lose a few shingles in a tornado while a neighbor has lost their roof. No matter the situation, we’re here to help. Just be sure to call us as soon as you can after a tornado, because you don’t want to be at the bottom of the list and have to wait on supplies.

Hail

In our most recent article, we told you all about hail. We told you how it’s made, the most common insurance claims that hail brings about, and how to file an insurance claim for hail damage.

Hail is the most expensive type of weather event across the country except for hurricanes. Around $10 billion dollars in hail damage occurs annually. While a good deal of that damage occurs to crops and vehicles, there’s also quite a lot that goes into repairing roofs and siding on homes and other buildings. Approximately 15-percent of homeowners file a hail damage claim at least once during their time owning property.

You won’t be surprised to know that an older roof is going to suffer hail damage more than newer shingles. The granules on the shingles are there to protect your roof, and hail not only removes these granules but can also damage the rest of the shingle if that hard surface is no longer there. Typical asphalt shingles give out after about 20 years, so if you are wary of hail damage you might want to consider a clay tile roof next time you have roof replacement performed.

Ice and Snow

Okay, not ice and snow. Mostly just ice here in Georgia. The Atlanta area only sees about two inches of snow per year. We only bring it up to remind you how nice it is not to have to worry about four feet of snow on your shingles causing roof collapse as it does in other parts of the country.

Ice, on the other hand, can cause problems even here in our usually warm state. Water can get into damaged parts of a roof — such as damaged parts caused by hail — and expand when it freezes and becomes ice. If it’s been raining, that rain can freeze the water and rip gutters right off the roof, which sometimes affects the shingles frozen to the gutters. Our area of the country sees freezing temperature about 35 days a year, and on two of those days, the temperature won’t even get above freezing during any part of the day.

Did Your Roof Suffer a Weather Event?

As you can see, nearly every weather event (short of flooding) is going to affect the roof of a home in some way. Sometimes it’s minor, such as when a strong wind whips a single shingle from a new roof. Other times the entire roof might be ripped off by a tornado. Either way, Roofing Resources of Georgia will be there to help.

No matter what has befallen your home, whether it’s a hailstorm, high winds, tornado, or ice, or simply the combined effects of weather over time, we’re your local roofers ready to tackle your problem. Contact RRG at the first sign of trouble and we’ll get to the bottom — or rather the top! — of your problem!

Call Now Button Skip to content