Monsoon Storm and Leak Repair

The monsoon is generally recognised as running from the middle of June through the end of September, with the storms themselves usually arriving from early July and the heaviest activity through July and August. That is when the great majority of storm roof calls happen. It is also why the useful time to have a roof looked at is May and June, before it gets tested rather than after.

Because monsoon rain does not fall straight down. It is driven sideways and upward by the wind ahead of the cell, so it gets under panel laps and into flashings from directions they never face in ordinary rain. A roof can shed the gentle rain that falls the rest of the year perfectly well and still let water in during a July storm. It normally means a lap, a flashing or a fastener line is marginal rather than gone.

Put something under the water and move furniture and electronics clear. If the ceiling is holding water in a bulge, that weight is a hazard, and puncturing it deliberately in one controlled spot over a bucket is usually better than letting it come down on its own. Photograph everything for your insurer. Do not climb onto a wet metal roof, and do not go into an attic space where water is near wiring.

Storm damage is often covered where wear and tear is not, and that distinction is exactly what an adjuster will be looking at. It depends on your policy and your carrier. What helps your case is documentation of the damage before anybody repairs it, and a written scope that separates storm damage from pre existing condition. We will not tell you what your insurer will decide.

Generally yes, on wind in particular. A properly fastened metal roof has far fewer separate pieces for wind to get under than a shingle roof does, and it does not lose granules to driving rain. Standing seam does better than exposed fastener because there is nothing penetrating the surface. None of that makes a metal roof immune, and a badly detailed metal roof will leak in a storm like anything else.

It can dent one, and hail turns up around Tucson more than people assume, particularly southeast toward Vail and Corona de Tucson. Denting is usually cosmetic and does not affect whether the roof keeps water out. What matters more is impact damage to penetrations, flashings and coating. We look for the functional damage rather than photographing dents.

Call and tell us what you are seeing and we will tell you honestly where you sit in the queue that day. During monsoon season every roofer in Tucson is busy at once, and an honest window is worth more to you than a promise that gets broken.