Severe weather is the single biggest threat to your roof, and the damage is often invisible from the ground until a leak shows up weeks later. The homeowners who come through a storm in the best shape are the ones who got ready before it arrived. Use this guide to prepare your roof and home, stay ahead of incoming weather, and know exactly what to do if damage happens.
You cannot protect your home from a storm you did not see coming. Set up reliable severe-weather alerts so you get as much warning as possible:
How a storm threatens your roof depends on where you live. Hail and high wind are the usual culprits across much of the country, hurricanes and driving rain along the coast, and heavy snow and ice load in the north. Knowing your region’s typical threat tells you what to check for and how urgently to act when a warning goes up.
| Region | Main storm threat | What to check first |
|---|---|---|
| Plains & Midwest (Hail Alley) | Large hail, straight-line wind | Shingle bruising and granule loss, dented vents and gutters |
| Southeast & Gulf Coast | Hurricanes, driving rain, wind | Flashing, shingle seal strips, soffits and gutter attachment |
| Northeast & Upper Midwest | Heavy snow, ice dams | Attic insulation and ventilation, gutter ice, roof load |
| Mountain & Southwest | Wind, sudden downpours, wildfire embers | Debris in gutters, vent screens, loose flashing |
| Pacific Northwest | Prolonged rain and wind | Moss and drainage, flashing, clogged gutters |
Before the weather turns, work through this list:
If a storm hits, stay off the roof. Inspect from the ground and from inside the attic for leaks, water stains, dented vents, or shingle debris in the yard. Storm damage is not always visible from the ground, so a professional inspection after any major event is the only reliable way to know what you are dealing with. Our guide to storm and hail damage roof repair covers what that damage looks like.
If there is damage, your homeowners policy may cover it. We walk through exactly how that works in our guide to navigating your insurance claims process. Storm Guard can inspect your roof, document the damage with dated photos, and give you a detailed report and estimate to share with your insurer. You file and manage the claim with your insurer, and coverage is their decision.
Prefer to get ahead of it? Contact your local Storm Guard for a free, no-obligation roof inspection before the next storm rolls in.
Inspect the roof (or have it inspected) for loose, cracked, or missing shingles and worn flashing around chimneys, vents, and skylights. Clear gutters and downspouts, trim overhanging branches, secure outdoor items that wind could throw, and check the attic for existing leaks.
A watch means conditions are possible, so stay alert. A warning means the event is happening or about to happen, so act now.
Turn on Wireless Emergency Alerts on your phone, which deliver National Weather Service warnings for your area at no cost, and enable notifications from a trustworthy weather source for watches and warnings.
Take dated photos of your roof’s current condition. If a storm causes damage, those photos show what was and wasn’t there beforehand, which makes an insurance claim far easier.
Stay off the roof. Inspect from the ground and from inside the attic for leaks, water stains, dented vents, or shingle debris. Because storm damage isn’t always visible from the ground, a professional inspection after any major event is the only reliable way to know what you’re dealing with.
It may, depending on your policy and your insurer’s assessment. Storm Guard can inspect your roof, document the damage with dated photos, and give you a detailed report and estimate to share with your insurer. You file and manage the claim with your insurer, and coverage is their decision.
Unless otherwise noted, each use of "Storm Guard," “us,” “we,” or “our” throughout Stormguardrc.com collectively refers to both the Storm Guard brand and the Storm Guard Franchise System, which is made up almost exclusively of independently owned and operated franchise locations.
