Your home’s roofing system faces the elements every day, which can result in serious damage without routine maintenance and timely roof repairs. Here, learn how weather affects your roof throughout the year to increase your maintenance efforts. While some roofing materials—such as metal roofs that absorb less heat—offer greater resilience than others, no system is impervious to weather.

How Can Weather Impact Your Roof?

1. Hail

Even small chunks of hail can damage your roof because they travel at high speeds. The frozen balls of water wear away at shingle granules, leaving them thin and vulnerable to leaks. Hail can also fracture shingles, especially those brittle from sun damage. Other roofing materials, like metal roofs, are also susceptible to hail damage. Hail can dent metal and crack its galvanized coating, increasing the risk of rust and leaks.

2. UV Rays

The heat from UV rays causes roofing materials to fade and degrade over time. Scorching temperatures dry shingles out, leaving them brittle and prone to breakage while also melting the tar keeping the shingles together, which increases leak chances. 

3. Wind

Strong winds can tear shingles from your roof, exposing underlying old shingles. Since older shingles feature fewer granules, they can wear to the point of causing leaks. A shingle roof without a layer of old shingles underneath causes the wind to expose the underlayment, allowing rain and melting snow to infiltrate your home and inflict water damage. Mold can develop in damp underlayment materials without roof repairs, as can wood rot.

4. Snow

Snow causes roofing systems to bear extra weight that tests their structural stability. In addition to causing weight-related stress, melting snow can create ice dams. These heavy sheets of ice form when hot attic air melts roof snow, which refreezes along the edge. Ice dams place more weight on roofing materials and increase the risk of leaks. They also typically form icicles that can fall off the roof edge and injure those walking underneath.

5. Rain

Any weak spots on your roofing system provide entryways for rain. Missing shingles, damaged flashing, or other issues requiring roof repairs allow rain to enter the system and cause water damage. Rainwater can also back up under roofing shingles if the gutters are clogged with leaf debris and other organic matter, resulting in leaks and damage.

Maintain your roofing system with services from Go to Guys Exteriors in Lebanon, OH. The roofing contractors serve residents throughout the Greater Cincinnati area, providing roof repairs, siding installations, and roof replacements. Call (937) 673-6760 today to request an estimate or visit the website for more information about roof repairs and other services.