What to look for from the ground
- Shingles or tabs on the lawn, in gutters, or against the foundation
- A dark rectangular patch on the roof where a shingle used to be
- Shingle edges standing slightly proud of the course below
- A horizontal crease line across a shingle face
- Lifted or displaced ridge caps along the peak
- Bent or displaced metal at the rake and eave edges
- Debris, branches, or granule accumulation after the event
The damage you cannot see is the point
This is why a post-storm inspection is worth having even when nothing appears to be missing. Creased shingles and broken seal bonds are found by looking closely at the roof, not by looking up at it, and they are the reason a roof can lose material progressively over several ordinary wind events after one significant storm.
It is also why the connection to a specific weather event matters for an insurance claim. Damage documented soon after the storm is a straightforward conversation. The same damage discovered as a leak eight months later is a much harder one.
What you see, and what it can mean
| What you see | What it can mean |
|---|---|
| Shingles or tabs on the lawn, in gutters or against the foundation | Material has already blown off; check the roof and the ceilings below |
| A dark rectangular patch where a shingle used to be | A missing shingle, exposing underlayment |
| Shingle edges standing slightly proud of the course below | A broken adhesive seal, which looks intact from the ground and can fail in the next moderate wind |
| A horizontal crease line across a shingle face | A creased shingle that can fail in ordinary wind, often taking neighbouring shingles with it |
| Lifted or displaced ridge caps, or bent metal at the rake and eave | Wind uplift at the edges of the roof |
| Shingles lost from a nearly new roof | Adhesive that had not yet sealed, or fastening that does not meet the wind rating: nails driven high, overdriven or too few |
Why a nearly new roof can lose shingles
Asphalt shingles bond by means of a heat-activated adhesive strip. A roof installed in cold weather may not seal until sustained warm weather arrives, and in that interval it is materially more vulnerable to wind uplift than a fully bonded roof.
Manufacturers publish cold-weather provisions, commonly including hand-sealing, for exactly this reason. If a roof was installed late in the Vermont season and lost shingles that winter, that history is relevant to the conversation with both the installer and the manufacturer, and it is worth raising. Not assuming bad luck.
Fastening matters too. A shingle's wind rating assumes the stated nail count and correct nail placement. Nails driven high, overdriven, or too few will not achieve it regardless of what the wrapper claims.
What to do now
- Photograph everything before clearing debris, and note the date and conditions
- Keep any shingles that came off: they help identify the product
- Check ceilings and the attic for water entry before assuming there is none
- Request an inspection, not waiting for a leak to develop
- Notify your insurer promptly if you intend to claim, and keep mitigation invoiced separately
Page last reviewed August 29, 2026.