Forecasters predict 13 to 20 named storms in the 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Of those, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is expecting five to become major hurricanes, with top winds reaching 110 miles per hour.
If you’re living in a coastal region, it’s time to start planning ahead to protect your home from the dangers of hurricanes. While there are steps you can take to storm-proof, like installing high-impact windows and shutters, the first step in securing your home is evaluating the roof. Your roof serves as the first line of defense against the elements. Without a durable and dependable roof in high-velocity hurricane zones, your home is at risk for costly damage.
That’s why more and more homeowners across Florida are upgrading to metal roofing. For more information about the protection metal provides, continue reading below about the benefits for homeowners.
Upgrade to Metal Roofing
Just because asphalt shingles cover 70% of residential homes doesn’t mean they’re the most resilient option on the market. While asphalt is considered the cheapest, you get what you pay for as it can’t provide the durability or longevity that metal roofing can.
In fact, metal roofing is one of the most impact-resistant options available. It also has a lifespan that is two to three times longer than traditional roofing materials like asphalt shingles, clay tiles and wood shakes.
Knowing these facts alone, it makes sense why Floridians are choosing metal to protect their properties from hurricane-force winds, but there are more benefits.
For starters, metal roofing:
- Resists wind uplift.
- Protects against wind-driven rain.
- Provides impact resistance to hail and storm debris.
Metal Roofing Resists Wind Uplift
Following a hurricane, roof damage is often the result of wind uplift. This happens when the air pressure below the roofing system increases while the air pressure above the roofing system decreases. This push-pull force causes the roofing materials to separate due to air infiltration through the cracks, exposing the underlying roof deck to wind, rain and hail. This is common in clay tiles and wood shakes, which tend to loosen around the fasteners.
DECRA’s products have been rigorously tested to comply with high-velocity hurricane zone requirements, including Miami-Dade, Florida, which is known for severe winds.
DECRA’s roofing products are backed by a warranty for winds up to 120 miles per hour and are tested at twice that velocity.
Metal Roofing Protects Against Wind-Driven Rain
Hurricanes bring severe bouts of wind and rain. Traditional roofing materials that are prone to wind uplift also leave the roof deck vulnerable to wind-driven rain, or rain that is driven into your home by the wind. The rain comes in via an opening because it’s being propelled by the wind. This force adds stress to the underlying structure of the roof without contributing strength, causing shingles and shakes to cup, crack and curl.
With DECRA, the profiles are securely fastened in place with corrosion-resistant stainless steel screws to ensure that wind-driven rain can’t penetrate the underlying deck.
DECRA has even performed extensive wind-driven rain testing at speeds up to 110 miles per hour to protect its roofing profiles against water penetration under the most extreme wind conditions.
Metal Roofing Provides Impact Resistance to Hail
Last, but certainly not least, hurricanes can bring with them warm, moist air, which can spin off thunderstorms with intense blasts of hail.
Impact resistance is important in roofing because it describes a material’s ability to absorb force or shock without breaking. Roofing materials are rated Class 1 through Class 4 based on their resistance to the impact of steel balls dropped from varying heights.
A UL2218 Class 4 Impact Rating is the highest possible rating for impact resistance. The Class 4 test simulates the damaging impact of a 2” hailstone by dropping a 2” steel ball onto the same spot twice from 20’ high. In order to achieve a Class 4 rating, the roofing material cannot exhibit any signs of fracture.
Not every roofing manufacturer can claim to have the highest possible UL2218 Class 4 Impact Rating, but DECRA can. Plus, our products are warrantied for hail up to 2.5 inches in diameter.
Upgrade to DECRA Metal Roofing to Protect Your Home From Hurricanes
DECRA metal roofs are engineered to withstand severe weather from hurricanes and nearly anything else Mother Nature has to offer. With the Atlantic Season already underway, it’s not too late to upgrade to DECRA Metal Roofing to add extra durability and longevity to your Florida home. For answers to all of your questions, contact one of our roofing advisors today.
