Cold-front wind in Richmond: how to spot loose shingles and flashing from the ground
Wind is not only a summer-thunderstorm problem in Richmond. Storm records from the National Weather Service in Wakefield show damaging gusts with cold fronts in January and February, when the trees are bare and the ground is often wet. This guide lists those records, explains what to look for on a roof after a windy day, shows how to check shingles and flashing from the ground without a ladder, and covers the insurance and contractor questions that follow. It is general information, not a repair manual, and it never asks you to climb onto the roof.
Cold-season wind has been recorded here before
The NWS office in Wakefield reports storms into NOAA's storm events database, and its cold-season entries for the Richmond area include several wind events. Wind speeds in these records are given in knots. One knot is about 1.15 mph, so 50 knots is about 58 mph.
- January 12, 2020, Chesterfield County: thunderstorm winds of 50 knots, about 58 mph, with trees down and some power outages.
- January 9, 2024, central and eastern Virginia: a strong low-pressure system and its cold front produced damaging winds. In Henrico County gusts reached 50 to 52 knots, about 58 to 60 mph, and a large tree fell across Interstate 64 and caused traffic backups.
- February 16, 2025, Henrico County: a 50-knot gust, about 58 mph, broke multiple branches.
Those records describe trees and branches, not roof damage, so we do not claim that these storms damaged roofs. They show that gusts around 58 mph in the cold months are part of the Richmond record, and a roof that has been loosened by one gust is easier for the next to damage.
Why bare trees do not make the wind harmless
Richmond's tree canopy covered 32% of the city in 2021, down from 42% in 2014. City of Richmond In winter the leaves are gone, but the limbs are still there, and limbs that hang over a roof can scrape shingles and flashing even when they do not break. After a windy day, look at the trees as well as the roof. Our guide to why trees come down on Richmond roofs explains what to check.
What wind tends to do to a roof
We have no official source for how wind damages a particular roof, so what follows is general guidance, not a finding. In general, wind works at the edges and corners of a roof and at the joints where the roof meets something else: a chimney, a wall, a vent pipe or a valley. Those joints are covered by flashing, which is the thin metal that sheds water where two surfaces meet. A shingle that has lifted or creased, or a piece of flashing that has bent or pulled loose, can let water in the next time it rains.
What to check from the ground
Keep your feet on the ground, or look out of an upstairs window; binoculars help.
- Look at the yard first. Pieces of shingle, metal strips or granules on the grass or in the gutters mean something came off.
- Look at the roof surface. Are any shingles missing, or is there a patch where the color is different because something has lifted?
- Look at the edges. Do any shingles along the eaves or the ridge look curled, lifted or out of line?
- Look at the flashing. Check around the chimney, along any wall that meets the roof, and around vent pipes. Is any metal bent, lifted or pulled away, or is there a visible gap?
- Look at the gutters and trim. Is a gutter sagging or pulled away, or is a board loose at the roof edge?
- Look inside after rain. Check the upstairs ceilings along the outside walls, and the attic if you can reach it safely, for light coming through, a damp patch or a new stain.
- Photograph what you see, with the date. Use the same spots next time so you can compare.
If you find something, do not try to repair it yourself from a ladder in the wind. A lifted shingle that is not leaking can usually wait for a calm day and a qualified person, while a missing section or an active leak should be reported soon. Our guide to tracing a leak after a storm explains how to follow a stain to its source.
If you think you have damage: insurance first
Before you call a roofer, find the wind line in your homeowners policy. Virginia lets insurers apply a separate deductible for wind, hail or theft, caps any property deductible at 10% of the dwelling coverage, and allows only one deductible per loss. Virginia regulations If a repair would cost less than your deductible, a claim may not help, so know the dollar figure before you file. The deductible calculator lets you try your own numbers.
If you do report a claim, Virginia's claim-handling rules say an insurer must acknowledge it within 15 calendar days. That is a deadline to acknowledge, not to pay. Virginia regulations
Choosing someone to look at it
After a windy week some crews go door to door. Check any company before you sign. Virginia generally requires a state contractor license for work or bids over $1,000, and a local business license does not count. Virginia DPOR On the DPOR license lookup, check that the license is active and look at its class. Roofing work is covered by the ROC specialty and also by the RBC and CBC classes and the HIC and CIC specialties, so look for one of those. Virginia DPOR If you sign anything at your door, read our guide to the 3-business-day cancellation right.
What to do now
- After the next windy day, walk around the house and look at the yard, the roof edge, the chimney and the gutters.
- Take dated photographs of anything that looks lifted, bent or missing.
- Find your wind or hail deductible and write down the dollar amount.
- Look at the trees that overhang the roof and note any broken or rubbing limbs.
- If you see a missing section or an active leak, report it soon and get a written quote.
- Check any company's license on the DPOR lookup before you sign.
Questions? Call (804) 764-9710 — we are a local roofing information service, not a contractor.