While roofing contractors can and do work in most types of weather, some weather conditions are just more amenable to roofing replacements and repairs than others. In order to speed the job along and avoid any weather damage during your roof installation, you'll want to schedule it during favorable weather if possible.
Here are some of the factors that can contribute to great weather conditions for roofing jobs.
1. Low humidity
The higher your ambient humidity is that day, the more moisture your roofing products are liable to absorb. In the case of your roof deck and underlayment, this moisture could then become trapped by the shingle layer above it. Roofing underlayment that's too damp when installed can sometimes wrinkle and cause a wavy appearance on your roof.
So ideally, you'd choose a day that has low to moderate humidity, not extremely high humidity. Another reason for this is because higher humidity can make workers overheat more easily, potentially causing a health hazard if the weather is also hot.
2. Moderate temperatures
While both extremely hot and extremely cold weather can be difficult and uncomfortable to work in, they can also affect roofing materials. For example, very hot weather can make the asphalt substance on roofing shingles too soft, making it more susceptible to damage when handled or walked on. Conversely, very cold weather can make the shingles brittle, which could also lead to damage.
3. No precipitation
A day with no precipitation is ideal when installing asphalt shingle roofing. Not only could rain get the underlayment wet and cause wrinkling, but other types of precipitation (such as hail) could cause significant damage to materials as well.
In addition, precipitation can make working on a roof quite hazardous because the surface can become more slippery. So you'll want to plan your roof install for a day that ideally has no precipitation at all, and at the very least has nothing more than a light mist.
4. Low wind
You can probably imagine that extreme winds could carry off roofing materials, lift the corners of shingles as they're being installed, and even threaten workers with wind-blown debris. But even moderate wind levels can be a nuisance while roofing as well. This is partly because a wind that feels moderate at ground level is likely to be stronger higher up (such as on top of your roof).
While roofing contractors can work in moderate wind conditions as long as no other weather threats like thunderstorms are in the area, a gentle breeze or even no wind at all is the most conducive situation to getting a lot of roofing work done quickly.
As you can see, different weather conditions can affect materials, techniques, and job difficulty in different ways. For more information about scheduling your next roofing job, get in touch with a local roofer today.