The monsoon season – a period of increased storms – is nearly upon Arizona, and with it comes certain dangers to your roof. It always pays to be prepared, especially when it comes to roof damage caused by Arizona monsoons. So when does this season start, how do you prepare for it, and what do you need to know?
What Is An Arizona Monsoon?
A monsoon is a seasonal change in the direction of the strongest winds, which causes an increase in rain and moisture in Arizona. This comes with an increase in rain, but also an increase in dust storms, both of which can be damaging to roofs if severe enough. When a monsoon officially begins is measured by the dew point average, but the National Weather Service now offers specific dates: typically June 15th to September 30th.
Roof Damage Caused by Arizona Monsoons
The monsoon season brings with it many storms that can get quite volatile, and your roof can become damaged during these storms. What kind of damage could occur during the monsoon?
- Rot & Leaks from Heavy Rain: Heavy rain can lead to water ponding on your flat roof or leaking underneath shingles or tiles which can cause moisture to seep into your roof deck and possibly begin to rot it. In addition, leaks are a common problem when there’s a lot of rain hitting your roof.
- Shingle Damage from Strong Winds: Not only can particularly heavy winds blow away shingles, which leaves the lower layer of your roof exposed, but wind can also carry debris – like branches from trees – that will damage your roof if it’s hit. Rain accompanied by heavy winds will force storm water between roofing tiles, saturating and swelling the waterproof underlayment. Over time this will prematurely deteriorate underlayment.
- Impact Damage from Hail: While hail isn’t particularly common in Arizona, it can happen. If it’s heavy, hail can damage your shingles and flashing when it falls on them.
How to Prepare Your Roof for Storm Season
So what’s the best way to prepare your roof for this upcoming monsoon season? There are a few handy tricks that could save you a lot of money and take away a lot of the stress about this stormy season.
It’s important to ensure all the openings into your house are secure. This includes doors and windows, but also things like skylights – basically, anything that leads into your house. Then make sure your gutters are clear. If your gutters are clogged during a storm, it increases the chance of water buildup on your roof, leading to water damage.
Now is the time for an assessment and maintenance call from a trusted roofer. Required maintenance includes replacing broken tiles; securing loose tiles; cleaning leaves and debris from valley areas to allow proper drainage of stormwater, etc. Lastly, if there are any branches that hang over your roof, make sure and have them trimmed – if they rub on the roof during high winds they will peel off tiles. Limbs touching the roof provide access for roof rats and other vermin.
Roof Inspection After a Storm
Preparing for the monsoon season is important, but what’s also important is assessing the damage after a heavy storm occurs. It can be difficult to gauge the level of damage yourself, and getting up on your roof can be dangerous, especially if it’s slippery from rain. Instead, call a professional, trusted roofing company to perform an inspection for you. They’ll be able to assess whether or not your roof incurred significant enough damage to require repair.
Nervous about the upcoming monsoon season? There’s no reason to be as long as you’re prepared. Call Roofstar Arizona now at (480) 426-1915 to get a free estimate. We’ll always tell you the truth about your roof!