Storms in the Wasatch front have a way of finding every weakness in a roof. One weekend it is spring wind barreling down the canyon at 60 miles per hour, the next it is heavy, wet snow that loads a span beyond its comfort zone. Then comes a summer microburst that throws tree limbs like spears. After twenty years in and around roofing crews, I can tell you a pattern emerges. Homes that hold up best do two things well. They handle the first critical 72 hours after a storm with calm, decisive steps, and they invest in details that disappear when you look at the roof from the street but matter when the weather turns.
Mountain Roofers works from American Fork to the upper benches, and their crews know our microclimate. Between freeze-thaw cycles, high UV at elevation, and gusts that funnel through gaps in the mountains, the repair playbook needs local nuance. What follows is not generic advice. It is how seasoned roofers in Utah approach storm damage, what to look for, what to fix now versus next season, and how to prevent a repeat.
What storms actually do to roofs here
Most homeowners think of missing shingles first, and wind certainly tears at laps and edges. The loudest damage, though, is not always the most serious. The common culprits after a Utah storm are water intrusion paths you cannot see from the driveway: lifted flashing at sidewalls, split pipe boots, dented ridge vents, and ice-damaged underlayment near eaves. Hail is sporadic along the Wasatch, but when it hits, it bruises asphalt mats and fractures granule bonds. Those impacts may not leak right away, but they speed up aging and open the door for UV to finish the job.
Snow is its own story. A roof that sheds snow quickly can handle a surprising amount of weight. Trouble starts when insulation is patchy, warm interior air melts the bottom layer, and water refreezes at the cold eave. Ice dams trap meltwater. That water looks for nails, laps, and every puncture in underlayment. Even a tidy roof with premium shingles can leak if heat loss and ventilation are off. Pair that reality with our spring winds and you get a one-two punch. Wind drives rain sideways, under the first course, and the next freeze opens the seams a little more.
I have walked plenty of roofs the day after a front moves through. The obvious missing shingles are not where I start. I check ridge caps and hip lines for hairline cracks, feel the edges of metal flashing for uplift, and run a hand along the base of pipe boots. The small cuts and gaps do more damage than the dramatic tear-outs.
The first 72 hours after a storm
If you can see daylight from your attic or have water coming through a ceiling, the first task is triage. Safety rules the day. Stay off a wet roof if you do not have training. A tarp job looks simple on video, but slick shingles and a steep pitch turn a quick patch into a fall in two seconds. Here is a simple sequence that works when managed from the ground.
- Photograph what you can from safe vantage points, inside and out. Capture ceiling stains and any water trails in the attic. Stop interior damage. Move belongings, lay plastic, and use buckets to catch drips. If a ceiling bulges, make a small controlled hole to relieve water before the entire panel fails. Call a local pro and schedule a site visit. Ask for same-day temporary protection if you have active leakage. If a tree limb has pierced the roof, keep people clear. Avoid turning on lights below the area until an electrician or roofer assesses wiring and moisture. Notify your insurer to start a claim, but do not wait for an adjuster to install emergency protection. Most policies expect you to mitigate further damage.
Temporary protection matters. The right tarp, fixed with cap nails and battens at the top edge and weighted properly, is not a blue sheet flapping in the wind. It is a sealed cover that sheds water without becoming a sail. Mountain Roofers crews carry breathable membranes and shrink film specifically for this window. On tile or metal roofs, the temporary solution changes, but the timeline does not. Quick protection prevents secondary rot and mold that becomes harder to remediate than the original leak.
What a thorough inspection looks like
Not every inspection requires a drone and thermal camera, though both have their place. After a storm, a good roofer starts with an exterior walkaround, binoculars in hand. We look at the eaves, rakes, and ridges, then the walls, soffits, and gutters for impact marks, bent sections, and displaced sealant. The next step is the attic, if accessible, with a flashlight and moisture meter. Darkened sheathing around nails, damp insulation, or frost on the underside of the roof in winter tells a story.
On the roof itself, we check:
- Field shingles for creases, broken tabs, and missing granules that reveal the asphalt base. Flashings at chimneys, skylights, and sidewalls for uplift, corroded sections, and sealant failure. We do not rely on caulk to solve poor geometry. Penetration boots around vent stacks for UV cracks. These rubber collars fail frequently around year 8 to 12, earlier at altitude. Ridge and off-ridge vents for dents, lifted sections, and screen damage that invites pests. Fasteners on metal panels and the seams on standing seam or snap-lock systems for opened clips or distorted pans.
We also note roof age, prior repairs, and design issues. A single layer of architectural shingles on a clean deck behaves differently than a layover on top of an old three-tab roof. If the deck feels spongy underfoot, the question is not whether to replace a few shingles or many. It is whether the sheathing needs sections replaced, and whether ventilation contributed to the damage.
Repair or replace: the fork in the road
Storms force decisions on timelines you did not choose. Reputable contractors ground those calls in facts and let you see the trade-offs. A roof with isolated wind damage on a ten-year-old laminate shingle often gets a targeted repair. The shingle lines are still in production, colors blend reasonably well, and the deck is sound. A roof with widespread hail bruising across slopes, even if it is not leaking, leans toward replacement. Insurers tend to look at pattern and extent rather than a count of missing tabs.
Edge cases need judgment. Suppose hail hit one neighborhood with larger stones for five minutes and your roof shows a random peppering on the north and west slopes but not the south. You could repair the worst sections, expecting accelerated wear but keeping the roof serviceable. Or you could replace the roof, lock in a warranty, and reset the clock. The cost delta is real. A high-quality asphalt roof might range from $5 to $8 per square foot installed in our market, while repairs could be a fraction of that. The long-term cost hinges on whether the repair keeps you dry for several seasons or buys only a year before you face the same choice with less insurance participation. This is where an experienced local estimator earns trust by showing sample impacts, lifting a few shingles to show substrate condition, and explaining how your specific product handles aging.
On metal or tile, repair decisions get nuanced. Tiles often survive hail but break under foot traffic during the inspection. Have spare tiles? Good. If not, a manufacturer color that went out of production a decade ago will not match. A measured replacement plan might harvest intact tiles from less visible slopes and use new stock on the street-facing side. With standing seam, cosmetic hail dimples rarely trigger replacement unless panels are deformed at seams or coatings are compromised. Wind, on the other hand, can pop clips and pull a run loose. That is a repair, but it needs the correct clips and fastener schedule restored, not just added screws.
The anatomy of a lasting storm repair
A quick patch and a long-term fix are not the same. The best crews treat temporary actions as a bridge to a deliberate repair plan. When we open a section, we do not simply slide a new shingle under and call it done. We check the felt or synthetic underlayment for tears, replace it if compromised, and reestablish the water-shedding sequence. At penetrations and edges, we favor preformed flashings and metal solutions over heavy bead caulking. Caulk has its place, but on a roof it is a sacrificial material, not a structure.
Fasteners are another place where quality hides. Using the right length and shank, driven flush but not overdriven, keeps the shingle from cutting under wind lift. More is not better. Correct placement is. On repairs near ridges and hips, we often replace a full course to reset the geometry and avoid thin strips that tear. It takes a little longer, and you see the difference the next time the wind tests it.
For ice-dam prone eaves, repairs often include adding an ice and water shield membrane two to three feet upslope beyond the exterior wall, then tying into sound underlayment above. This peel-and-stick layer seals around fasteners and buys tolerance for the freeze-thaw cycles that we simply cannot avoid in Utah winters. If soffit vents are blocked, or attic insulation is uneven, we address Home page airflow and thermal balance. A roof repair that ignores ventilation sets you up for the same leak in the next cold snap.
Working with insurance without losing your sanity
Storm claims do not need to be adversarial, but they do need documentation. Adjusters appreciate clear, dated photos, a clean diagram of the roof, and a line-item scope that ties to observed damage. A roofer who meets the adjuster on site and explains local code requirements saves everyone time. In many Utah municipalities, code requires ice barrier underlayment along eaves during replacement. If the original roof predated that requirement, the upgrade falls under code compliance, not betterment, and should be covered when replacement is warranted. Good contractors know these nuances and help you navigate them.
Expect at least two touchpoints with your insurer. The first determines whether the damage is covered and sets an initial scope. The second reconciles real costs after work is complete, including supplements for items discovered during tear-off that could not be known earlier, like hidden deck rot along a valley. It is fair to ask your contractor how they handle supplements, whether they provide before-and-after photos for hidden components, and how they communicate any changes in scope and cost to you. Transparency early avoids surprises late.
Preventing the next storm from winning
Your roof’s job is simple. Keep water out and stay attached to the house. Everything else we do, from underlayment choices to fastener patterns, supports those two goals. After a storm repair, take the opportunity to tighten the system.
Start with edges. Drip edge metal that overlaps the fascia and extends under the first course of underlayment protects the vulnerable front line where wind and water meet. In older roofs we still find no drip edge at all. Adding it can be transformative. Next, confirm nail patterns. Manufacturers test shingles to specific wind ratings based on nails placed within a narrow strip. Nails too high or too low reduce that rating. A careful crew fixes that not just on the replacement shingles but often refreshes adjacent courses where nails were misaligned.
Attic ventilation matters more than most realize. Balanced intake at the soffits and exhaust at the ridge lowers attic temperatures in summer, reduces ice dams in winter, and extends shingle life. I have seen vents cut in haphazardly that short-circuit airflow, or bath fans that dump moisture directly into the attic and frost the underside of the roof deck. Correcting these is not glamorous work, but it makes leaks less likely and puts your insulation to work.
If trees overhang the roof, trim them back. A three-foot clearance reduces abrasion in wind and keeps gutters from filling with debris that dams water during heavy rain. Clean gutters in late fall before the first snow and again in spring. Modern diamond-mesh guards help in some situations, but they are not a full substitute for maintenance.
Finally, choose materials with our altitude in mind. UV here is stronger. Shingles with higher-quality granules and robust asphalt binders resist premature loss. Metal coatings matter too. Look for proven finishes, not just color names, and ask for documentation on chalk and fade ratings. A mid-grade product installed expertly outperforms a premium label installed sloppily.
What Mountain Roofers brings to the table
Local crews who have worked roofs through our winds, snow loads, and temperature swings develop instinct for where to look and how to build resilience. Mountain Roofers prioritizes a few practices that align with that experience. They stage emergency response kits during storm seasons so the first visit can secure your home, not just take measurements. Their estimators carry moisture meters and inspect attics when safe, because a roof is a system, not just an exterior skin. On repairs, they use compatible materials and confirm manufacturer specifications, especially on fastener placement and underlayment overlaps, because warranty and performance live in the details.
They also work clean. It sounds small until a stray nail finds a tire. Magnetic sweeps around the property after every visit do not happen by magic. They happen because the crew chief insists. If they find a design flaw during a repair, like a dead valley that dumps water into a flat area behind a dormer, they propose fixes such as a crickets or diverters rather than smearing sealant and hoping. That bias toward durable solutions is what keeps the next storm from becoming another claim.
If you need a starting point for a conversation or a fast response after a storm, Mountain Roofers is accessible.
Contact Us
Mountain Roofers
Address: 371 S 960 W, American Fork, UT 84003, United States
Phone: (435) 222-3066
Website: https://mtnroofers.com/
A few real scenarios and what they teach
A spring windstorm rolled through American Fork two years ago and peeled a neat strip of shingles along a rake on a ten-year-old home. From the ground, the missing strip caught the eye, but water stains showed up in the dining room on an interior wall a day later. The leak did not come from the missing field shingles. It came from step flashing along a sidewall that had been bent slightly by the uplift. Water ran down the wall, hit the flashing, and routed behind it. The fix involved removing two courses along that wall, resetting the step flashing with proper overlaps and kickout at the bottom, then replacing shingles along the rake. The lesson, simple as it sounds, is that wind damage spreads stress beyond the tear. Look for where metal bends, not just where shingles fly.
Another case involved a low-slope section at the back of a 1970s house retrofitted with architectural shingles, tied into a higher pitched main roof. After a heavy, wet snow followed by a quick thaw, water showed up around can lights near the transition. A walk revealed soft decking and lumpy shingles. The underlayment had been standard felt, and the tie-in lacked a proper saddle. The repair replaced the low-slope area with a membrane designed for low pitch, rebuilt the transition with a metal pan and ice barrier that ran well upslope, and re-insulated the attic below to regulate temperature. That roof has now seen two winters without incident. The takeaway is that materials must match slope, and transitions often need a custom metal detail to stop water from lingering.
Hail makes for another kind of judgment call. In a July storm above the bench in Highland, hail ranged from pea to quarter size for eight minutes. A homeowner asked for a full replacement. The inspection found scattered granule loss and a few bruised spots, but not enough to compromise the mat across full slopes. Ridge caps took the worst beating. Rather than push for a total, the roofer documented the impacts, replaced ridges and the heavily marked areas, and scheduled a checkup the following spring. The homeowner saved cost and kept an insurance claim clean for when the roof genuinely needs replacement. A year later, the roof remained sound, and the next claim will be easier to support with a record of measured decisions.
Materials that behave well in mountain weather
There is no one perfect product for every home. Roof geometry, budget, and aesthetics matter. That said, I have seen certain choices pay back in our conditions. Impact-rated asphalt shingles with reinforced mats stand up better to sporadic hail and resist tearing during wind uplift. They do not make a roof hail-proof, but they often prevent cosmetic abuse from becoming functional failure. Metal roofs with standing seams handle snow well when details are right. Snow retention devices placed strategically above entries and walkways prevent dangerous slides and protect gutters. Ice and water shield as an ice barrier along eaves is nearly non-negotiable in our code zones and should extend beyond the interior wall line. Synthetic underlayment outperforms felt for tear resistance during wind events and keeps working even after minor fastener misses.
For penetrations, high-quality pipe boots with UV-resistant collars last longer at altitude. On skylights, models with engineered flashing kits and curb mounts simplify waterproofing compared to field-bent flashing. On valleys, metal W-valleys or closed-cut shingle valleys both work, but the choice should follow roof pitch and debris load. In pine-heavy areas, closed-cut valleys trap needles less than open metal valleys, but open metal can shed heavy water better on steeper slopes. Good roofing is judgment, not just catalog selection.
Working rhythm: what to expect during a repair or replacement
Homeowners often ask about timing and disruption. After a major storm, schedules tighten. Good contractors triage, prioritizing homes with active leaks and vulnerable interiors. An emergency dry-in happens first, often the same day. The permanent repair might follow within days or a few weeks, depending on materials and weather. On replacement projects, a typical single-family home of 25 to 35 squares takes one to three days of active work under normal conditions. Tear-off, deck repair where needed, underlayment and ice barrier, then shingles or panels in a steady sequence. Crews start early to beat heat and winds and may stage materials the day before. Expect noise. Plan pets and remote calls accordingly.
Communication makes the difference between a stressful week and a manageable one. You should know when the crew will arrive, what areas they will protect, and how they will access power. Ask where the dumpster will sit and how they will protect driveways. Ask who your contact is on site and how change decisions will be made. A professional crew answers these before you ask. Mountain Roofers sets that expectation with a pre-job walkthrough. It is not flashy, it just works.
When to call and when to wait
Not every mark on a roof deserves a crew callout the next day. Minor granule loss on older shingles after a windy, dusty day is normal aging. A single lifted shingle tab that seats back down without a crease in calm weather may not require immediate action. But if you see:
- Missing shingles, damaged ridge caps, or exposed underlayment. Water spots on ceilings or around can lights that were not there last week. Bent or displaced metal along edges, valleys, or sidewalls. A cracked or deteriorated pipe boot around a vent stack. Gutters pulled away, or fascia that looks warped after a storm.
Make the call. Early, small repairs save money and headaches later. Even if it turns out to be minor, you get eyes on the system and a baseline for the future.
The long view
Roofs do not fail all at once, they telegraph their needs. Storms accelerate the conversation. The homes that age gracefully share a common pattern. Owners who keep records of work done, who schedule seasonal quick checks, and who engage contractors that favor durable details spend less in crisis and more on planned improvements. They also sleep better during the next wind event.
Mountain Roofers has built their approach around that reality. The address and phone number on the truck matter because you want to reach the same people in five years that you talk to today. You want a crew that tightens a flashing before it leaks, not after. You want someone who will tell you when a roof can be nursed along and when you Mountain Roofers are better served by a clean replacement that clears the slate.
If the last storm left you with a drip, a draft, or a bad feeling, start with a call. Ask for a frank assessment. Walk the roof with the estimator if conditions allow, or at least walk the photos together. Insist on seeing under the surface where it matters. The right partner will not sell you a shingle, they will protect a structure. That is the work, and when storms come down off the mountain, that is the shield you want on your home.