Winter Rain on a Roof That Has Been Dry for Months
Pasadena's rain comes in a short winter season after long dry stretches, and the San Gabriel Mountains give it roughly six inches more a year than downtown Los Angeles. A roof with a clogged drain or a sagging low spot, which a dry summer concealed, suddenly holds water for the first time in months. The weight of the pooled water strains the deck, and the stress concentrates on seams and corners that were already marginal.
After a storm we check the drains first, because they tell us what the rain actually did: whether the sumps cleared, whether water backed up against the flashing, and whether any ponds remain in the same places they occupied last year. A roof that is still holding water two days after the rain has a drainage defect that will return, and repairing the membrane without addressing it simply invites the next claim. Where a cricket, a new drain or a scupper is needed, we scope drain and scupper correction alongside the storm repair so the roof is left better drained than we found it.
The Assessment Before the Repair
A hurried repair can hide the evidence that an insurer or an engineer needs, so our first visit records before it fixes. We photograph every area of damage with scale and context, take moisture readings where water entered, and write down the date, the wind or rain event, and the roof's condition as we found it. If the membrane is wet beneath, a thermal scan or a few core cuts map how far the water traveled, a method also used in an infrared moisture survey on roofs where the damage is not obvious.
Temporary protection comes next. Tarps are secured to the roof with battens fastened into solid substrate, not just weighted, and temporary dry-in is sized to the weather ahead. Our emergency response covers that stage on any day of the week, including holidays, so a building that took damage on a Sunday night is not left open until Monday.
Ember Exposure and Fire Zone Repairs
The January 2025 Eaton Fire began near Altadena and Pasadena and burned 14,021 acres. Forecasts ahead of it called for Santa Ana gusts of 60 to 80 mph, with isolated gusts higher still, a load that edges, flashings and rooftop units have to survive, and embers collect in gutters, valleys and behind parapets. JPL closed and evacuated, and the lab had minor wind damage but no structural damage, a reminder that even a large research campus takes wind at its details.
Repairs in a mapped Fire Hazard Severity Zone follow stricter rules. In Very High zones, the roof covering must reach Class A, the rating applies to the whole assembly of covering, underlayment and deck, and work that replaces more than half the roof in a year triggers the full requirement. We work out the scope with that line in mind and coordinate with the permit center, so a repair that looks routine does not become a surprise code issue. Where fire has actually reached a roof, fire damage roof repair follows a more careful sequence of its own.
From Temporary Fix to Permanent Roof
Once the building is dry and the evidence is recorded, the permanent repair is scoped on its merits. We rebuild the failed detail, replace wet insulation, repair or replace the membrane, and reset sheet metal that was displaced. Sometimes the storm has simply exposed a roof that was due to be replaced, and we say so, because spending on repairs that will not outlast the next season does the owner no good.
The records we assemble also serve the claim. For owners dealing with insurers, our roof insurance claim assistance turns the photographs, readings and repair scope into a package an adjuster can follow. On a hospital campus like Huntington's, a venue like the Rose Bowl or a research campus like Caltech's, an open roof is costly, and that discipline shortens the time between damage and a sound roof.
Commercial Roofing Questions
A tenant reports a drip after a storm, but I cannot see damage. Where do we begin?
Start with the roof directly above the drip and the path water could have taken to reach it. We open with a walk of the area, a moisture reading at the ceiling, and a thermal scan of the roof surface where the building warrants it. Most storm leaks are traced to a displaced flashing or a disturbed seam within a short distance of the stain.
Do we need a repair permit after wind damage?
That depends on the scope. For a like-for-like repair of a small portion of the roof the answer can be no, but in a Fire Hazard Severity Zone, or when the repair approaches half the roof area, the building code and wildland-urban interface rules start to apply. We ask the permit center before the scope is final and tell you in advance what to expect.
How much of the damage is insured?
That is a decision for your insurer, and it turns on your policy language and what the adjuster finds on the roof. What we control is the record: the photographs, readings and repair estimate that show what the storm did. We do not predict coverage, and we do not promise an outcome.
Can a repaired roof still fail at the same spot in the next storm?
Yes, if the repair only covered the visible wound and left the underlying cause in place. A loose curb, a clogged drain or a hollow cap will do it again. That is why we repair the first detail that failed and not just the damage that followed.
What if the roof is old and the storm finished it off?
Then the right course is to say that and price replacement beside the repair. A storm that exposes an aged membrane may leave you with a choice between spending on a roof near the end of its life and moving the replacement forward. We lay out both with photographs so you can compare.
