Southwest Florida is known for its year-round sunshine, warm temperatures and calm breezes.
Unfortunately, we’re also known for severe thunderstorms. Locals have come to expect torrential rainfall, lightning and frightening claps of thunder, but few realize that hail can – and does – fall in Florida. A storm in March 2019 covered a town in North Florida with ice, and golf ball-sized hail was reported as far south as Cocoa Beach.
The National Weather Service has documented dozens of instances in which hail greater than 1 inch in diameter has fallen in Florida, predominantly in early spring through late summer. Hail the size of golf balls falls to the ground at about 20 mph, according to the NWS, while baseball-sized hail falls around 100 mph. So imagine one of MLB’s top pitchers chucking a fastball at your building – it’s going to cause damage!
Roofs aren’t designed to withstand a barrage of ice chunks falling from the sky, and it doesn’t matter what type of roof you have because hail can damage all of them.
Hail can put unsightly dings, dents and dimples into metal roofs, even from pea-sized hail. Those dimples in flat roofs can hold water, which leads to deterioration of roofing materials and contributes to mold growth while providing a breeding ground for mosquitos. Hail can easily crack clay tiles, and GAF reports that shingles can suffer granule loss, fractured fiberglass mats and loosened self-seal strips.
From high winds to heavy rain, foul weather often is a cause of roof problems in Southwest Florida. Target Roofing offers FREE inspections to assess roof damage and estimate repairs, and our experienced roofing inspectors are Haag-certified. Call us today at 239-332-5707 or email Projects@TargetRoofers.com.
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