Santa Ana Winds and Your Roof: What to Check After
Wait for the wind to drop, then check from the ground. Santa Ana winds are most common from October through March, and an event typically lasts one to five days, according to a National Weather Service climate bulletin; in the January 2025 windstorm the Service recorded gusts of 84 mph at Hollywood Burbank Airport and 67 mph at Van Nuys Airport. On a shingle roof, look for missing, torn or lifted shingles and blown-off ridge caps; on tile, for slipped or broken tiles at the edges, hips and ridges; on any roof, for bent flashing, loose vent caps and gutters pulled away. Photograph it, check the attic, and have a roofer replace what's torn and seal what lifted before the first rain. Wind is generally a covered cause under a homeowners policy, so damage it causes can be an insurance claim.
What the wind does to each kind of roof
A roof gives way first where wind can get under it: edges, ridges, corners and anything that wasn't fastened or sealed well.
| Roof | What to look for | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Asphalt shingle | Missing shingles, torn or creased tabs, tabs lifted along the edges and rakes, hip and ridge caps blown off | A self-sealing shingle's strip bonds with the sun's heat; one that lifted may need hand-sealing to hold again |
| Clay or concrete tile | Slipped, cracked or missing tiles, especially along eaves, rakes, hips and ridges; mortar or caps loosened | Water reaches the underlayment where a tile is missing or out of place |
| Flashing and edges | Bent or lifted drip edge and flashing, loose vent caps, gutters pulled from the fascia | Lifted metal lets wind-driven rain in at the edges |
| Solar arrays | Loose or missing parts near the array, wiring disturbed | The array's attachments carry the wind load through the roof |
How shingles are rated for wind, how long the sealant strip takes to set, and how the ratings compare with Santa Ana gusts is in shingle wind and impact ratings. Tile repairs are covered in cracked and slipped roof tile repair.
What to do, in order
1. Stay off the roof while it's windy. The National Weather Service issues High Wind Warnings when sustained winds with stronger gusts are happening and Wind Advisories when strong winds are occurring; wait them out.
- Walk the yard and look from the ground for shingles, tile pieces, caps, flashing or metal parts that came down, and photograph them where they landed.
- Look at the roof from every side with binoculars or a phone zoom: gaps in the shingle pattern, raised edges, displaced tiles.
- Check the attic and ceilings for daylight, damp spots or stains, and look again after the next rain.
- Photograph everything before anything is moved or repaired, and note the dates of the wind.
- Have a roofer inspect and make temporary repairs if the roof is open; what to do when it's already leaking is in emergency roof leak in a storm.
How lifted and torn shingles get fixed
The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association's residential manual explains how a shingle holds down in wind: the factory adhesive on self-sealing shingles is activated by the sun's heat and bonds each shingle to the one below; in winter, bonding can take longer. Santa Ana season runs into those cooler months, so a roof put on late in the year can meet a strong wind before its shingles have fully sealed. Where hand sealing is needed, the manual calls for asphalt roofing cement meeting ASTM D4586, two quarter-size spots under each tab on three-tab shingles and four on laminated shingles, following the shingle maker's instructions. A torn or damaged shingle is replaced by drawing the fasteners from it and from the shingle above, fitting a new one, then fastening and hand-sealing both.
Not every raised edge is wind damage. The same manual notes that in the colder months after installation, shingle edges can curl slightly as the asphalt contracts; it calls this cold curl, a normal occurrence that should correct itself as the roof warms. A roofer can tell the two apart.
In the City of Los Angeles's High Wind Velocity Areas, parts of the San Fernando Valley that LADBS bulletin P/BC 2026-016 lists by street, shingles have to be bonded with asphalt cement unless they're self-sealing shingles carrying UL's label for wind-resistant shingles, and boundary tiles along eaves, hips, ridges and rakes are nailed or tied and also bonded with a continuous bead of roofer's mastic. What else a re-roof has to include is in California re-roof code requirements.
Insurance after the wind
Wind that tears off shingles or tiles is generally a covered cause under a California homeowners policy (on a FAIR Plan policy, only with its extended coverages), and so is rain that comes in through an opening the wind made; a roof that leaked because it was worn out isn't. Report the damage without delay and protect the roof from further damage, keeping the receipts. The coverage rules are in does insurance cover a roof replacement?, and the claim steps and deadlines in how to file a roof insurance claim in California.
What we've seen
Photographs taken before the wind are what settle questions after it. On a 2025 Porter Ranch solar job, after a windy night in November the household found a metal piece in the back yard and asked whether it had come off the array; we compared the roof photographs from before and after the installation and could show the rails and clamps in place (the Porter Ranch case).
Frequently asked
How strong do Santa Ana winds get in the Valley?
Can a lifted shingle reseal by itself?
Is wind damage to a roof covered by insurance?
Should I go on the roof to check after a Santa Ana?
Why do tiles slip in high wind?
Related reading
Sources & methodology
Code sections, rules and figures on this page come from the primary sources below. Codes, local requirements and product terms change; each was verified October 8, 2026.
- Tom Murphree, Emily Szasz and Kellen Jones, Santa Ana Events in California, NOAA National Weather Service Science and Technology Infusion Climate…
- National Weather Service Los Angeles/Oxnard, Public Information Statement, 5:53 a.m. PST January 8, 2025 (highest wind reports, past two days),…
- National Weather Service, Wind Warnings, Watches and Advisories
- Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association, Residential Asphalt Roofing Manual: Design and Application Methods, 2014 edition (Chapter 1,…
- LADBS, Dwellings in High Wind Velocity Areas (HWA), Information Bulletin P/BC 2026-016, effective January 1, 2026, revised April 24, 2026
- California Department of Insurance, Residential Property Claims Guide (updated February 27, 2025)
We check the roof after the wind and fix what moved
Call (323) 844-7777. We inspect the roof, edges, flashing and attic after a wind event, photograph what we find, replace torn shingles or slipped tiles and seal lifted tabs, and put it in writing for your insurer if there's a claim. Have ready the address and the date of the wind.
Prepared by Cali Energy, October 8, 2026. This article is for general educational purposes only and is not legal, tax, financial, engineering, or utility advice. Rates, incentives, codes, permit requirements, equipment specifications, prices, and program terms may change; figures and timelines are estimates, not guarantees. Confirm current requirements with the applicable utility, AHJ, program administrator, manufacturer, or a licensed professional. See our Content Disclaimer. Cali Energy · 19201 Parthenia St, Unit E, Northridge, CA 91324 · CSLB #1032379 (B, C-10, C-39)