Oklahoma experiences its fair share of severe weather each year; so does our neighboring state, Arkansas. Severe weather can damage any type of roof, but the type of damage varies by the weather event. The roofing material and roof slope also contribute to the type of damage. In this blog, we’ll consider the various weather events that regularly impact Oklahoma and Arkansas, and the damage to look for after drought, heavy rains, hail, snow, ice, and high winds.
Drought doesn’t just hurt the agricultural producers in the state. It hurts roofs throughout Oklahoma and Arkansas. Without moisture from precipitation, the roofing materials become dry and brittle. Losing their flexibility, they can break or crack more easily. Flat and sloped roofs experience this damage equally. Asphalt shingle, architectural shingle, and wood shake roofs experience the worst of this damage. Thermal stress from the heat can cause buckling and warping of shingles. Dust and dirt build up on the roof, too. This can clog roofing gutters and downspouts, creating a secondary problem when it does rain again.
Heavy rains can cause ponding on a flat roof or one with a slight slope. The water strikes the roof at such a quick speed that it doesn’t run off into the gutters efficiently. Ponding can cause water stains or create a damp spot that eventually becomes a leak. Maintain your roofing gutters and downspouts by regularly cleaning them, so twigs, leaves, and other debris don’t build up. This provides a clean guttering system for water to flow through.
Even small hail of pea size can damage a roof if it falls for an extended period. Repeated hail strikes can also damage a roof over time. On asphalt shingle roofs, hail causes cracks or roof blistering. On sloped roofs, it typically results in dented shingles, which allow water to penetrate the lower levels of the roof structure. Hail also sloughs granules off of asphalt and architectural shingles, causing bald areas to develop on the shingles. On metal roofs, it can dent the roofing sheet.
The heavy weight of snow and ice can cause a roof to cave in. When snow melts, if temperatures quickly drop again, the melted precipitation can re-freeze at the edge of the roof, creating an ice dam. An ice dam puts additional weight on the roof that can cause it to cave in. In some instances, a crack forms under the ice dam, which becomes a leak once the temperatures rise and the ice begins to melt.
High winds can loosen or remove roofing materials from a flat or sloped roof. After a storm or a day of high winds, walk the perimeter of your home to look for missing or torn shingles. Wind can also result in broken shingles or roofing tiles. Oklahoma’s annual twisters can damage roofs to the point of replacement. It doesn’t matter if straight-line winds or a tornado damage your home’s roof; it only matters that you quickly have the damage fixed.
Whether you find missing shingles due to high winds, dented tiles from hail, or ice dams on your roof’s edge, address the damage immediately. Your home’s roof provides integral protection for your roof decking and the interior of your home. A small leak can quickly develop into a large one if not fixed immediately.
A roofer can replace missing, damaged, or bald tiles or shingles to restore the roof’s structural integrity. You save money by hiring a professional roofer to fix the weather damage because a small roof repair costs thousands of dollars less than a replacement roof.
Don’t despair if severe weather damages your home’s roof. Contact Decor Roofing & Restoration for immediate repairs of damage from drought, heavy rains, hail, snow, ice, and high winds. We’ve served Bixby, OK, and the surrounding area for more than 35 years. We provide Oklahoma and Arkansas with the expert roofing, restoration, and construction services they need. When you hire Decor Roofing & Restoration, you can count on our quality workmanship and exceptional customer service. Call us today.
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