How Susceptible Is Your Asphalt Roof to Wind Damage?

An effective asphalt shingle roofing system is the home’s first line of defense against weather elements, especially extreme windstorms. Strong winds – even on windy days when there’s no rain, hail or snow – can bring devastating damage, such as leaks and cracked shingles. To prevent this from happening, it’s important to learn how susceptible your asphalt shingle roof is to wind damage. 

How Your Asphalt Shingle Roof Interacts With Strong Winds

The wind doesn’t always move in a steady stream. Instead, it moves randomly at various speeds. This is a result of temperature and pressure differences in the Earth’s atmosphere and the land’s terrain and topography. When the wind reaches your roof, however, the interaction is more predictable. 

When the wind hits the sides of your home, it travels up and goes over your roof with changing degrees of uplift pressure. The eaves of your roof are especially more vulnerable to wind damage as uplift pressure is highest there. Once the wind reaches the surface of your roof, the suction pressure has the potential to lift your shingles. 

Factors That Affect Your Roof’s Wind Resistance

How strong winds affect your residential roofing system depends on several factors, including the following:

• Location of your home: Together with the local climate, it plays a key role in your roof’s wind resistance. Since stronger winds are expected in hurricane-prone areas, seaside homes are more vulnerable to wind damage than those in the city.
• Age of your roof: The roof is already in its weakened state if it shows signs of extensive deterioration, which makes it more prone to wind damage. As such, a 20-year-old asphalt roof is more likely to suffer wind damage than that of a 10-year-old asphalt roof.
• Roof layout: Roofs with higher slopes, wider eave overhangs and longer gable lines tend to be more vulnerable to wind pressure. Meanwhile, aerodynamic, four-sided hip roofs are more resistant to wind.
• Roof material quality: If installed properly with high-quality materials, your roof can protect your home from heavy winds. However, if built with low-quality materials, your roof will not last for a long time. Local generic plywood, for example, is more prone to rot, which may cause the nails that fasten the shingles to become loose.

As a GAF Master Elite® roofing contractor, The Badger Company is able to provide high-quality roofing systems that can withstand whatever Mother Nature throws at them. In fact, our asphalt shingle offerings are equipped with the Advanced Protection® Technology, which means they’ve been tested for toughness and flexibility amid inclement weather.

Count on us to install gutters and siding as well. Give us a call at (608) 850-6282, or fill out our online contact form to request a free estimate. We serve homeowners in Waunakee and the rest of southern Wisconsin.