How Much Rain Is Too Much For My Baton Rouge Roof

Editor's note: This post was originally published on August 25, 2016 and has been updated for accuracy and relevance.

As the Greater Baton Rouge area recovers from the historic flood of 2016, many people are dealing with replacing floors, sheetrock, treasured possessions, and just about everything else that may have taken on water. While the flood came from rising rivers, bayous, and creeks, it started with 56 hours of a steady downpour. Add to that, we have seen rain just about every day since; and we are getting into the stretch of hurricane season that has affected our area the most in recent years. All this rainfall may have you asking, how much rain is too much for my Baton Rouge roof?

The short answer is, it depends on your particular roof. Let’s take a look at different types for an answer.

Starting with shingles, if you have a newer roof, you should be ok. This much rainfall can cause your roof to age faster than it should, but since it started in good shape. You will, however, still want to fully assess it when you get the chance. If you have an older shingle roof, you may want to give it a look sooner rather than later. If previous weather related exposure has caused any shingles to crack or curl, parts of your roof that shouldn’t be exposed to the elements may be exposed, which could lead to much larger problems.

If you have a tile or slate roof, both should do a good job of draining the water as soon as it hits, regardless of how much water comes down. What you need to look out for with these roofs are missing tiles. If a piece of tile or slate is missing, this can trigger a number of negative effects on your roof. Poor runoff or drainage can lead to more tiles being lost. A missing tile or slate shingle can also leave open the possibility of water soaking into your roof. It also leaves your roof exposed to potential puncture damage from tree limbs.

If you have a metal roof, you shouldn’t have any problems with the amount of water coming down. With a metal roof, your larger concern would be with potential wind damage. Fortunately, the storms we have experienced have been more rain events than wind events, but we are still in hurricane season, so the potential for a wind driven storm is still very present. Make sure the interlocks on your roof are still good and that there is nowhere for wind to get underneath the metal.

Regardless of what type of roof you have, there are a few things you want to do in between storms. First of all, check your gutters . While this is normally something that is done in the spring, the amount of rainfall we have had makes double checking worthwhile. Remove any build-up or blockages so that your gutters can drain properly.



You also want to trim back any foliage that may be within reach of your roof. This is generally another springtime task, but with the amount of rain we have had, branches and limbs that weren’t in reach of your roof a few months ago, may be there now. The reason for this is simple; water makes things heavier. The more rain that falls, the heavier branches and limbs will be; causing some to droop lower than when they are dry. If this puts them in contact with your roof, or uncomfortably close, you should trim them back.

Of course, if you have any questions or doubts along the way, we are here to help .