Why do gusts lift shingles that were fine last year?
Shingles are held down by a strip of sealant and by nails. A gust gets under a loose edge and pulls on that seal, and once the seal breaks the shingle has nothing to hold it flat. Age and heat make the sealant less forgiving, so an older roof is more likely to lose its seal in a storm.
Sealant on an asphalt shingle is a strip of tar-like adhesive that bonds one shingle to the course below it. In warm weather the sealant softens and bonds well, and in cold weather it stiffens. When a roof has been through many summers, the sealant can lose its grip, and a gust that a newer roof would shrug off can lift the edge of an older one.
The nails matter as well. A nail set too high, too low or at an angle does not hold the shingle as intended, and a shingle nailed in the wrong place can lift even when its seal is good. The repair checks the nailing as well as the sealant.
Which parts of a roof does wind attack first?
Wind attacks the edges first: the eaves, the rakes and the ridge. Those are the places where the air moves fastest over the roof, and where the shingles have the least overlap to hold them down.
A roof corner and a roof edge both catch more wind than the middle of a slope. When wind flows over the edge, it lifts the shingle that is nearest the edge, and that shingle can pull the next one loose. The damage starts at the perimeter and moves inward if it is not repaired.
The ridge is the other weak point. Ridge caps are small pieces of shingle bent over the peak, and they are held by a few nails and a thin layer of sealant. A gust can bend, crack or tear them off, and once the ridge is open, water runs down into the attic at the top of the roof.
What does a wind repair actually include?
A wind repair includes making the roof watertight, replacing shingles that are cracked or missing, re-sealing lifted edges, replacing damaged ridge caps and securing flashing. The work follows the damage, and it does not replace sound roof area.
The repair starts with what the roof needs to keep water out. Missing shingles are replaced first, then lifted edges are re-sealed, then the ridge and flashing are secured. Each step is checked before the next starts, so a missed nail or a loose cap does not get buried under the next layer.
The technician records what was done on each slope and reports anything that was found but not repaired, such as an old patch that needs attention later. A repair is only as good as the record of what it covered, and the record goes to the owner.
How do wind and hail damage differ on the same roof?
Hail bruises and breaks the shingle surface, while wind lifts and tears the shingle edges and seals. A roof can show both after one storm, and the inspection separates them because the repairs are different.
Hail leaves round bruises and granule loss, mostly on the windward slopes. Wind leaves lifted tabs, creased shingles and torn edges, mostly at the perimeter and the ridge. On a roof that has been through a storm with both, the technician notes which damage is which, so each is repaired and recorded correctly.
The distinction also matters for an insurance claim. A claim that describes wind damage on a slope that shows only hail hits will be questioned by the insurer. Keeping the two categories separate in the written record is how a homeowner avoids that problem.
When is a wind repair an emergency?
When the roof is open to the weather, or when water is reaching a ceiling, the repair is urgent. A missing section over a bedroom or a damaged ridge is worth a same-day visit, and the line is answered around the clock.
The test is whether water can get into the house in the next rain. An open section of decking, a torn-off ridge with a dark stain below, or a ceiling that is sagging because of wet insulation are all reasons to call at once. A flapping shingle with no leak can wait for a planned visit, and the technician says which is which on the phone.
If it is safe, the homeowner can put a tarp or a bucket under a ceiling leak until the crew arrives. A tarp should not be attached to a roof by someone standing on a slope, and the crew will check any tarp that was put up before they arrived.
