The proximity to some of the best and most attractive beaches in the world makes life in Florida sweet and fun. The Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration considers Florida the second most desirable state after Texas and the third most populous. But despite its popularity, Florida is among the top states in America with extreme weather conditions.
Florida’s weather conditions take a huge toll on residential and commercial roofs, from sweltering summer heat to severe hurricanes and thunderstorms. So, if you plan to build or buy a home in Florida, keep in mind that you might have to struggle with Florida weather roof damage from time to time. This article tells you how Florida weather will affect your roof and what you can do to prevent damages.
Ways the Florida Weather Damages Your Roof
Hail Damage
Although they do not fall every day, hailstorms are very common in Florida. Sometimes these storms drop huge chunks of ice that are almost the size of a baseball. When these hailstones drop on your asphalt shingles, they cause weak spots across the roof, shortening its lifespan significantly. It’s even worse if your roof is made of clay tiles because these hailstones can easily cause cracks or break the tiles. Unfortunately, these weak spots and cracks in your roof may not become visible immediately. That’s why it is important to have regular roof inspections done by a professional roof inspector immediately after a major hailstorm.
Wind Damage
Florida experiences severe hurricane winds and tropical storms that leave most roofs with serious damages. Strong hurricane winds and storms can easily dislodge your shingles, shakes, and tiles, leaving cracks and openings that might allow water to seep through into your house. Furthermore, strong winds can blow trees or tree branches into your roof, causing serious damage to your shingles or tiles. Unfortunately, it’s not easy to notice some small damages caused by wind until later when your roof starts to leak. So, it’s advisable to do a roof inspection after a severe hurricane wind.
Extreme Heat
A standard asphalt shingle has a useful lifespan of at least two decades, but the excess heat in Florida reduces this lifespan by half. The constant exposure to intense heat and the harmful UV rays causes the shingles to dry out, causing their edges to twist upwards. This makes it easy for the wind to rip the shingles off. A simple roof inspection will help you identify this problem before and address it immediately.