Storms can sneak up on you! One minute, it's nice and clear outside, and the next minute, it's pouring rain! Something else that can be sneaky is storm damage to your roof. You might glance up at your roof after a storm, see that all of the shingles are in place, and figure everything is okay — but it might not be. Sometimes, storm damage comes in more subtle, sneaky forms, like the following.

Hail Spots

If there was any hail associated with the storm that blew through, then you will want to look out for hail spots. It doesn't even take a lot of hail or really heavy hail to cause them. Hail spots look like dark, slightly shiny spots on a shingle roof. The shininess comes from the fact that the hail jars the granules off the surface of the shingles. This won't cause leaks or any other major issues immediately, but over time, the lack of granules will cause your shingles to deteriorate quickly and start leaking sooner. 

It's usually easiest to spot hail damage from a ladder. But you may also be able to see it from the ground if you stand at a certain angle in relation to the sun. If there are parts of your roof that you can't see from the ground, or if you're not confident climbing a ladder, then you should have a professional roofer come check for hail damage after any hail storm. If they do find damage, they can replace the damaged shingles while leaving the healthy shingles in place.

Lifted Shingles

Sometimes a strong wind can catch the edge of a shingle and lift it up, but not so much that the shingle becomes completely detached from the roof. However, the edge of the shingle is still raised, which means rainwater can sneak under there later on. Many homeowners have mystery leaks, which they later trace back to shingles that were slightly lifted by a storm.

You can often tell if shingles have been lifted by looking straight across the roof's surface. If there are any shingle edges that stand out rather than laying completely flat, then your roof needs repairs. A roofing contractor can generally cement the lifted shingles back down, rather than replacing them.

Raised Flashing

Flashing extends up the sides of your chimneys and vents. Since it sits vertically, it can be caught by hind winds more easily than your shingles, which lay flat. When flashing is new, it is generally secured pretty tightly to the roof, but over time, the glue or cement used to hold it in place weakens, and then a storm may cause it to peel away.

If you do see any metal flashing flopping around in the wind, or even just sitting inches away from the surface, it should be attached to, then you need to call a roofer. A large amount of water can seep in around damaged flashing, leading to mold growth and rot in a short period of time.

Loose Gutters

While gutters are not technically part of the roof, they are necessary for keeping your roof dry and healthy. So, if the gutters are damaged in a storm, your roof will suffer in the future, unless you have those gutters repaired or replaced.

The most common kind of storm-related gutter damage is loose gutters. The gutters may become detached from one or more fasteners, causing them to hang lower than usual. This impedes their draining. Luckily, a roofer can easily fix loose or sagging gutters.

Sometimes storm damage whispers, rather than yelling at you. Make sure you never ignore subtle signs of storm damage! Contact a company like Select Exteriors to learn more.  

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