Severe thunderstorms, straight-line wind, hail and occasional tornadoes have all reached the Shenandoah Valley in recent years. Damage often shows first at the edges, at flashing and on the fasteners, and some of it is only visible from a ladder or a roof. This guide describes the local storm record and the signs a homeowner can check safely.
Key takeaways
- The local record includes a 2012 derecho, a 2022 tornado through Fishersville and Waynesboro, July 2022 straight-line wind and 2023 hail.
- Wind usually lifts and creases edges, ridges and flashing before it removes large sections of covering.
- Hail marks soft metal first, so dented vents, gutters and downspouts are a useful sign to check from the ground.
- Do not climb onto a wet, steep or damaged roof to look. Check from the ground and from inside the attic through a safe opening.
- Damage that is not visible at the surface can still allow water in, so a technician should inspect it after a storm even when it looks minor.
What storms have reached the valley?
The local record includes a historic windstorm in June 2012, an EF-1 tornado through Fishersville and Waynesboro in April 2022, straight-line wind in July 2022 and hail in August 2023. Each event left different kinds of damage, and each is reported by a named source.
The 29 June 2012 derecho was a historic windstorm through the Appalachians. The National Weather Service's Blacksburg office reports 22 fatalities regionally. Local television reported that Harrisonburg reached 104 degrees Fahrenheit, with gusts above 70 miles per hour, and that about a quarter of a million people lost power across the Valley. The Staunton-specific damage count for that storm is not confirmed here.
On 26 April 2022 a tornado, rated EF-1 by the National Weather Service at about 90 miles per hour, crossed Fishersville and Waynesboro. A local television report described a path about six miles long and 75 yards wide, with roof and structural damage to a barn on Tinkling Spring Road. In July 2022 a severe thunderstorm with straight-line wind caused thousands of outages in Staunton and Augusta County.
On 7 August 2023, hail was reported in Waynesboro, Fishersville and Crimora, and a private station recorded a 68 mile-per-hour gust. The same storms brought wind and a possible tornado to the wider region, and a local television report described a metal roof peeled back on a building in the Broadway area of Harrisonburg. The record is a list of events, not a measure of how often they happen, and this site does not give a hail frequency.
How does wind damage a roof?
Wind usually starts at the edges, the ridges, the corners and the flashing, where pressure is highest and the fasteners are most stressed. Lifted tabs, creased shingles and bent metal at the rakes and eaves are the first things to look for after a gusty storm.
Wind pushes hardest on the perimeter of a roof, so the eaves, the rakes, the ridge and the corners are where damage usually starts. A shingle that has lost a sealant strip or has a torn tab can lift in a gust and then flap, which wears the fastener hole and lets water in later. A creased tab is a sign that a shingle has already been moved beyond its design.
Flashing is the next weak point. Drip edge, valley metal, step flashing at walls and the metal at a chimney can bend or pull free, and a small gap there can be enough to let rain in behind the covering. Metal that is bent or lifted at its edges should be treated as a repair item even if the covering looks intact.
Older roofs often have less sealant, more hand-cut details and fasteners that have worked loose over the years. A storm can therefore do more damage to an older roof than to a newer one, even when the wind speed is the same. That is a reason to inspect after any strong wind rather than waiting for a leak.
What does hail leave behind?
Hail is easiest to spot on soft metal: dents in vent covers, gutters, downspouts and the fins of outdoor units. On shingles, hail can bruise the granules or crack the mat, and the damage is not always visible from the ground.
The August 2023 hail reports covered Waynesboro, Fishersville and Crimora. A homeowner who lives in any of those places, or who saw hail fall, can check the easy signs from the ground first. Look for dents or pitting on metal vents, the cap of a chimney, gutters and downspouts, and the outdoor air-conditioning fins. Dents on those surfaces show that hail of a size able to mark them reached the house.
On asphalt shingles, hail can knock off granules, bruise the mat or crack the shingle. Bare patches that look different from the rest of the surface, soft spots that give under a finger, or granules piling in the gutters can all be signs. Those signs need a closer look, so a technician should check the roof, not the homeowner from a ladder.
Hail damage on a roof is not always obvious from below. A shingle can be cracked and still sit in place, and a leak may appear weeks later. Photograph what you see from the ground, note the date of the storm and keep the notes with the photographs for any repair decision.
What can a homeowner check safely after a storm?
From the ground and from inside the house, look at the gutters, downspouts, vent covers, the fence and the trees for debris, and check the ceilings and walls under the roof for new stains. Do not climb onto a wet or damaged roof to look.
Start on the ground. Walk the perimeter and look at the gutters and downspouts for dents, displaced sections and granules. Check whether any branch has fallen on the roof, and look for shingle pieces or metal on the lawn or the driveway. Fallen material is often the best evidence of what the wind did to the roof above.
Next look inside. Check the ceilings and walls under the roof for new stains, bubbling paint or damp spots, and look in the attic through a safe access point for daylight, wet insulation or water on the decking. An attic check should be done in daylight, with a light and without standing on the insulation or the joists.
Do not climb the roof after a storm to look, especially if it is wet, steep, or has loose material on it. A fall from a roof is a serious injury, and the damage a homeowner can see from the ground is usually enough to call for a technician to check the rest.
What should the technician check that a homeowner cannot?
A technician checks the fasteners, the sealant strips, the flashing at every junction, the condition of the decking at the edges and any hidden water. The inspection tells the homeowner what has failed, what is only worn and what can wait.
A technician walks the roof with the right equipment and the right footwear, and checks each slope from a safe position. The checks include shingle tabs and sealant strips, the fasteners at the rakes and the eaves, the valley metal, the step flashing at walls and the edges of any metal roof. Lifted or missing fasteners and damaged ridge caps are common findings after wind.
The technician also checks what is under the surface where it can be reached. Staining or soft decking at an eave or a valley can show that water has been getting in, even when the surface looks sound. Where a leak has been noticed inside, the technician works back from the stain to the likely entry point, which is often some distance from the stain itself.
The inspection should end with a written list: what is damaged, what is worn but serviceable and what can wait. A list like that is the document a homeowner needs for an insurance question or a repair decision, and it is also the basis for comparing quotes on the same scope.
When should you call for storm damage?
Call a roofing technician after any storm that you can see has damaged the roof or its gutters, after a leak appears, or after a strong wind has moved shingles or metal. Do not wait for a leak if the outside signs are already there.
A small amount of damage does not mean the roof is safe. Lifted shingles and loose flashing can be repaired cheaply if they are found early, and they can cause much larger repairs if they are left to wet the decking through a season. A short inspection after a storm is usually a sensible step, even when the house looks fine from the street.
Call the same day if there is an active leak, water coming through a ceiling, a tree or branch resting on the roof, or any sign that the structure has been affected. Keep the area below clear, shut off power to a fixture that is wet, and do not try to repair the roof yourself in wet or windy conditions.
When you call, describe what you saw from the ground, when the storm happened and whether the damage is inside, outside or both. Those details help the firm decide how quickly it needs to come out and what equipment it will need to bring.
What should you do when a tree or a branch lands on the roof?
Keep clear of the house if the tree touches power lines, call the utility before anyone approaches, and do not climb onto a roof with a tree across it. A tree on a roof is a removal job for trained crews, and a temporary tarp should only be put up once the area is safe.
A tree or large branch on a roof is a safety question before it is a roofing question. Power lines in contact with the tree or the house are a reason to stay away and to call the utility, and nobody should try to cut a branch while it is touching a line. Once the area is confirmed safe, the next step is a removal crew, not a homeowner with a saw on a ladder.
Once the tree is off the roof, look at what it did. A branch can crack a rafter, puncture the decking, bend a valley or pull a chimney cap loose. The technician should check the roof at the points where the weight landed and inside the attic beneath, because a load that breaks shingles can also weaken the structure underneath.
A tree that fell on a house is often a claim question as well as a repair question. Photograph the tree, the roof and the area around them before anything is moved, and keep the removal invoice. The insurer will want to see what happened and when, and the removal may need to be documented as emergency work.
Frequently asked questions
Does every storm cause roof damage?
No. Many storms pass without damage to a roof, and some damage shows up later. A ground check after a severe storm is a sensible habit, and a technician can confirm whether anything needs repair.
Can wind lift shingles without tearing them off?
Yes. A lifted or creased tab may stay in place for a while, but the sealant can break and the fastener can loosen. Those tabs are a repair item even though the roof still looks covered.
How can I tell hail damage from ordinary wear?
Hail usually leaves dents or pitting that are new, clustered and on several soft-metal surfaces at once. Ordinary wear is more even and more gradual. A technician can usually tell the difference on the roof itself.
Should I photograph the damage before anything is repaired?
Yes. Photograph the roof from the ground, the metal vents and the gutters, and any stain inside, and note the date. Keep the photographs with the inspection notes, because they are useful for any insurance question and for comparing repair quotes.
Sources
This guide is general information for Staunton city homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.