Each season leaves different marks on an Oklahoma roof. Here is what to look for from the ground, and when to call instead of climbing up.
One thing first: almost nothing on this list requires you to get on the roof. Falls are the real hazard in roofing, and a pair of binoculars from the lawn will answer most of these questions safely.
Spring, the storm season
This is the important one in Oklahoma. Spring brings the hail and the high wind, and it is when most roof damage in this state occurs.
Hail does not keep to spring, though. On September 24, 2024, a storm dropped hail up to 2.5 inches across Oklahoma City and into Edmond.
After any significant storm, check for:
- Shingles in the yard or driveway. The clearest possible signal, and one that means the roof needs looking at rather than watching.
- Dents in soft metals. Gutters, downspouts, vents and caps dent under hail that leaves no mark on shingles you can see from the ground. This is the most reliable ground level indicator that a hail event was significant.
- Damaged window screens and fencing. Same principle. These mark readily and corroborate what the storm did.
- Granules in the gutters or at the downspout outlets. Some granule loss is normal over a roof's life. A noticeable accumulation after a specific storm is not.
- New stains on ceilings or in the attic. Check after the next rain rather than immediately, because a leak needs water to show itself.
Hail damage to shingles is bruising rather than holes, and it is essentially invisible from the ground. If the soft metals around your house are dented, the roof is worth having assessed even if it looks perfectly fine. Our assessment is free and you get a written report either way.
Summer, the heat
Oklahoma summer heat is hard on roofing materials. Extreme surface temperatures accelerate the aging of asphalt, and an attic that cannot ventilate turns into an oven that cooks the decking from underneath.
Worth checking:
- Attic temperature and airflow. If your attic is dramatically hotter than the outside air and there is no perceptible movement, ventilation is worth looking at.
- Cupping or curling shingles. Visible from the ground with binoculars as an uneven, wavy texture across a slope. It usually indicates age, heat stress, or a ventilation problem.
- Cracked sealant and worn pipe boots. The rubber collars around plumbing vents split in the sun, and they are a very common source of interior leaks on otherwise healthy roofs.
Summer is also when roofing schedules move. We delay or stop work when heat becomes unsafe for a crew, and on the hottest days that can mean pulling the crew off the roof at midday and finishing later in the day.
Fall, the debris season
Less dramatic and genuinely useful. This is the maintenance season.
Worth doing:
- Clear the gutters. Blocked gutters cause water to back up at the eave, get behind the fascia and reach the roof decking at its most vulnerable edge. That becomes a rot problem rather than a gutter problem.
- Check the downspouts are actually discharging. Water needs to leave the building, not pool at the foundation.
- Trim back overhanging branches. Branches abrade shingles in wind and drop the debris that blocks everything below.
- Look at valleys. Debris collecting in a valley holds moisture against the roof and stops water moving the way it should.
If you have mature trees over the roof, this is where leaf protection earns its cost. If nothing overhangs your gutters, it is a much weaker case and we will tell you so.
Winter, the freeze and thaw
Oklahoma winters are not severe every year, but they produce enough freeze and thaw cycling to matter, and occasional ice events that put real load on a roof edge.
Worth checking:
- Ice building at the eaves. Ice forming along the roof edge indicates heat escaping into the attic and melting snow that then refreezes at the colder overhang. It is a ventilation and insulation signal.
- Attic condensation. Moisture on the underside of the decking is a ventilation problem, and left alone it becomes a decking problem.
- Interior stains after a thaw. Water that entered during a freeze frequently shows up when it melts rather than when it arrived.
Moore and Norman both call for an ice barrier in roof valleys in their residential codes, which is worth asking about whenever a roof is replaced.
Twice a year, and after every serious storm
The simple version of all of the above: look at the roof properly twice a year, and again after any storm that made you think about it at the time.
Our standard inspection is three laps: two with the drone (the shingle field, then the details), and a third on foot with a handheld camera for the gutters, screens, fencing and eaves. The first drone lap reads the shingle field for granular loss and hail impacts. The second covers chimneys, pipe jacks, flashing, valleys and soft metals on every side of the roof. When the photos cannot confirm damage or find a leak, we get on the roof and into the attic.
The drone survey takes ten to fifteen minutes, it costs nothing, and you get the findings in writing whether or not there is anything to do about it. If your roof is fine, that is what the report will say.
