Blizzards are more than just a bad snowstorm. They can bring foot after foot of snow, in combination with strong, sustained winds that can wreak damage on your home. Roofs are especially prone to damage when a blizzard blows through. As such, you will want to look over your roof after a blizzard. Here are the key types of damage to check for.
Missing Flashing
Missing flashing is easy to overlook if the flashing has blown away completely. But you should specifically look over the places where flashing should be to ensure the flashing is still there. The most common places where roof flashing is used include within roof valleys, around chimneys, and around raised vents. If you don't see metal in these areas, then the flashing has probably blown away and should be replaced.
Lifted Shingles
Sometimes a blizzard will blow shingles off completely. That's hard to miss. But other times, the blizzard will only partially lift some shingles off the roof. This is easier to miss if you don't look at the roof from a specific angle. So, walk around your home, and try to look at every roof surface from multiple angles. If you see any shingles that are lifted off the roof surface, call a roofer sooner rather than later. Lifted shingles will eventually leak, even if they are not leaking right now.
Sagging or Depressed Areas
If you got a few feet of snow, the snow load may have come close to your roof's limits. Heavy snow can cause the roof deck (the wood layer that lies under your shingles) to crack. The most obvious evidence of this cracking is usually a sagging or depressed area in the roof. This area may be large or small. Regardless of its size and depth, you need to have it addressed. Sagging roofs are prone to caving in. If another big snowstorm comes through, your roof may not make it.
Repairing a damaged roof deck does require the roofer to remove the shingles first. They'll then replace the cracked boards and put the shingles back into place. This is an extensive process, but it is necessary.
Blizzards are like the snowy version of tropical storms or hurricanes. Don't underestimate their potential to damage roofs. The good news is that the most common types of blizzard-related roof damage are all things most roofers have experience addressing. For more information on storm damage roof repair, contact a company near you.
When you develop a roof leak, you don't have time to ignore it. Issues with leaks can cause problems as simple as incoming water and as wide-ranging as mold accumulation inside your home, which is why you should never let an issue sit. However, if you aren't careful, you could develop problems with roofing that is simply open to the elements, allowing rain and snow to enter your home, melt, and contribute to problems like mold growth. On this blog, you can learn more about the kinds of roofing issues that you could be faced with, and what to do about them.