Thuderstorms, hail, tornadoes damage roof

All thunderstorms are dangerous. Every thunderstorm produces lightning, which kills more people every year than tornadoes. An average of 80 people is killed and 300 injured each year by lightning. In addition, heavy rain from thunderstorms can lead to flash floods, which are the number one cause of deaths associated with thunderstorms. Strong winds hail and tornadoes may be associated with some thunderstorms. Lightning also causes many fires each year.

Even strong structures may not be able to withstand tornadoes, and some tornadoes have been seen to rip asphalt from the ground. The stronger the wind speed, the more likely the sight of heavily damaged buildings and grounds. An F0 tornado will not cause much structural damage; you may see damaged tree branches or roofs, and windows broken by flying objects. Anything that might be lifted or moved by regular winds may be affected. As wind speed increases, stronger tornadoes can actually lift houses from their foundations, as happened in the Jarrell, Texas, tornado of 1997.

Hail causes more than $1 billion in damage to property and crops each year. You do not want to own a new car dealership when there is thunderstorm with large hail. The flash of lightning and the boom of thunder occur at the same time. Lightning is seen before the thunder is heard, however, because light travels faster than sound.
By counting the number of seconds between the lightning flash and the sound of the thunder, you can tell roughly how far away the storm is. Every five seconds represents one mile. If the storm is a mile away, the lightning flash reaches you virtually instantaneously, but it takes about 5 seconds for the sound of the thunder to reach you.


Thunderstorms affect small areas when compared with large storms like hurricanes and winter storms. The typical thunderstorm is about 15 miles in diameter and lasts for about 30 minutes. Nearly 1,800 thunderstorms are occurring at any given time around the world, and more than 20 million lightning strikes a year.


In the southeastern and western states, most thunderstorms occur during the afternoon. In the Plains states, thunderstorms are common in the late afternoon and at night. Tornadoes are the most violent type of storm, with wind speeds reaching up to 300 miles per hour. Tornadoes develop from powerful thunderstorms and appear as rotating, funnel-shaped clouds.

Check the size of the hail if possible. If the hail is one inch to one and a quarter inches in diameter, then the hailstorm may have damaged your roof. As a point of reference, hail that causes damage is usually about the size of a half dollar. After a hail storm it can be hard to see the damage to the roof, but experts say the best thing to look at is vents and the gutter down sprouts. So after a hail storm, have a walk around your house to inspect for damage. After you get close enough to your roof to inspect the shingles, look for hail marks. On asphalt shingles these look like dimples or dark spots where the hail has hit on the shingle. You may even see parts of the shingle edges that have been knocked off. Note any areas where you see the asphalt underlayment exposed. This is the liner between your shingles and the roof boards. Fresh damage from hail often has a shiny appearance because the asphalt granules have not had time to weather and dull.

When it comes to a tornado it doesn't matter what the intensity of it is if your house is not properly built to withstand it. If your house is not wind-proofed it can suffer a lot of damage. Inspect the roof of your house. If you are uncomfortable with checking your own roof then have someone come out and look at it for you. The connection between your walls and your roof needs to be strong enough to resist the uplift caused by the wind of the tornado and they should be secured with metal connectors.



It is advisable, that after each natures disaster check your roof to see if there is any damage caused. If you are not able to identify the damage then call for a roof inspection at 281-883-2692.