Albuquerque's monsoon season runs from June 15 through September 30, and every year it brings a combination of heavy rainfall, high winds, and hail that tests the limits of every roof in the metro area. The storms can be sudden and intense, dropping an inch or more of rain in under an hour and producing hail ranging from pea-sized to golf-ball-sized. Preparing your roof before monsoon season is one of the most cost-effective things you can do as a New Mexico homeowner. A few hours of preparation can prevent thousands of dollars in water damage.
Start With a Visual Inspection
The best time to inspect your roof is in the spring, well before the first monsoon storms arrive. You do not need to climb onto your roof for the initial check. Walk around your property and look up at the roof from every angle. What to look for from the ground: missing, curled, or cracked shingles on a pitched roof, visible tears, blisters, or lifting on a flat roof membrane, damaged or rusted flashing around vents, chimneys, and edges, sagging areas that could indicate structural issues or water pooling, stains on the stucco or fascia below the roofline that suggest past water intrusion, and clogged or disconnected gutters and downspouts.
If you see any of these signs, schedule a professional inspection before monsoon season starts. Catching a problem in April or May is far better than discovering it during a July thunderstorm.
Clean Your Drains and Gutters
For flat roofs, drain maintenance is absolutely critical before monsoon season. Flat roofs rely on scuppers, internal drains, or edge drainage to move water off the roof. If any of these are blocked, water will pool on your roof. Even a few inches of ponding water creates tremendous weight, roughly five pounds per square foot per inch of water depth, and dramatically increases the risk of leaks and structural damage.
Clean all roof drains and ensure they are flowing freely. Remove any debris like leaves, dirt, or gravel that may have accumulated around drain openings. Check that scuppers are clear and that downspouts are directing water away from your foundation.
For pitched roofs, clean your gutters and make sure downspouts are connected and directing water at least three to four feet away from the foundation. Clogged gutters cause water to back up under the roofline, damaging fascia boards and creating entry points for water into your attic.
Trim Overhanging Trees
High winds during monsoon thunderstorms can snap tree branches and send them crashing onto your roof. Walk your property and identify any branches that hang over or near your roofline. Trim them back so they are at least six to ten feet from the roof. Pay special attention to dead branches, which are more likely to break during a storm.
In the Albuquerque metro, cottonwood trees are particularly problematic. Their soft wood is prone to breakage in high winds, and their leaves and cotton can clog drains and gutters rapidly.
Check Flashing and Seals
Flashing is the metal or membrane material that seals the joints where your roof meets walls, vents, chimneys, skylights, and swamp cooler platforms. Flashing failures are one of the most common sources of monsoon-related roof leaks in Albuquerque homes.
Inspect all flashing for rust, lifting, gaps, or deterioration. Check the caulking and sealant around vent pipes, skylights, and any other roof penetrations. In our desert climate, UV exposure degrades sealants faster than in other regions, so caulking that was applied even just three to five years ago may already be failing.
For flat roofs, pay special attention to the membrane seams and edges. TPO seams that were heat-welded should be inspected for any areas that are lifting or separating. Modified bitumen lap seams should be checked for adhesive failure.
Address Known Problem Areas
If your roof leaked during last year's monsoon season, do not assume the problem resolved itself. Water stains on ceilings or walls, even if they are dry now, indicate a point of entry that will leak again when the next heavy rain arrives. Have these areas professionally inspected and repaired before monsoon season begins.
Common repeat problem areas in Albuquerque homes include the junction where a flat roof meets a parapet wall, around swamp cooler platforms and ductwork penetrations, at the base of satellite dish mounts, where additions meet the original roof structure, and valley areas on pitched roofs where two roof planes meet.
Emergency Preparation
Even with thorough preparation, monsoon storms can be intense enough to cause damage to any roof. Keep these items on hand: a heavy-duty tarp and bungee cords or sandbags for emergency coverage of a damaged area, a five-gallon bucket of roof sealant or tar for emergency patching, the phone number of your roofing contractor and your insurance agent, and your homeowner's insurance policy number.
If your roof is damaged during a monsoon storm, your priorities should be preventing further water entry by applying a tarp, documenting the damage with photos and video, calling your insurance company to open a claim, and scheduling a professional inspection.
The Post-Storm Inspection
After every significant hail event during monsoon season, have your roof inspected. Hail damage is not always visible from the ground, and the window to file an insurance claim in New Mexico is typically one to two years from the date of the storm. The sooner you document the damage, the stronger your claim.
At Alliance Construction Services, we provide free pre-monsoon roof inspections every spring. We check your entire roof system, identify any vulnerabilities, and give you a prioritized list of actions to take before the storms arrive. Call us at (505) 206-3705 to schedule yours.