Tag Archive for: Rain

Hurricane Laura Bringing Strong Winds & Rainfall To East Texas

Hurricane Laura was upgraded to a Category 3 storm early Wednesday morning and remains on track to make landfall along the Texas and Louisiana coast on Wednesday night. Data from the National Hurricane Center shows that it could become a Category 4 storm before slamming into the shore.

Cities along the coastline, such as Galveston and Port Arthur, are likely to see catastrophic damage.

The impact on East Texas will naturally be less severe, but still significant, starting late Wednesday night. “Winds are expected to begin increasing over the southernmost sections of East Texas, spreading northward during the day on Thursday,” stated KLTV Chief Meteorologist Mark Scirto. “Maximum wind gusts of 80 mph or more are possible.”

Scirto also predicts 4-6 inches of rain for eastern counties, 2-4 inches of rain for central counties, and 1-2 inches of rain along the western fringe. This begins with scattered showers and thunderstorms on Wednesday afternoon, as the outer bands of Hurricane Laura reach East Texas. The rain and wind increase Wednesday night and continue throughout all of Thursday.

There is also a chance for isolated tornadoes and Flash Flood Watches in some counties.

Clear skies return to East Texas on Friday afternoon, making this weekend a perfect opportunity to assess potential damage from the storm. Strong winds can tear shingles from roofs and heavy rainfall may lead to leaks inside of homes and businesses. Let the highly trained experts at Stonewater Roofing help you locate the damage and get it properly repaired, providing peace of mind for many years to come.

Wienerland’s Iconic Roof Held Record For Steep Pitch

One of Tyler’s most iconic buildings will soon be gone. The Tyler Morning Telegraph reported in March that the former home of Wienerland is set to be demolished. The business holds many memories for East Texans, but is also well known within the roofing industry. That is because Wienerland’s roof held the record for the steepest pitch on a commercial building in Tyler.

Pitch is essentially the angle or slope of a roof. It is expressed as a ratio of vertical rise to horizontal span. For consistency within the United States, the span is always 12 inches. So, pitch measures how many inches a roof rises over the course of 12 horizontal inches. The easiest and safest way to measure the pitch of a roof is from the attic.

Slope Diagram

There are several common pitches within the construction industry, such as 4/12 for low-slope roofs up to 9/12 for steeper-slope roofs. The old Wienerland building is an oddity at 18.4/12 and an angle of nearly 57 degrees.

Pitch helps to redirect water and snow. Areas that see significant amounts of precipitation will typically require greater pitches or minimum slopes on buildings for protection. Since rain and snow are not regular issues in East Texas, the Wienerland pitch must have been for other reasons.

Perhaps the pitch was to attract attention. If that was the case, it certainly worked. Wienerland was a cherished eatery in the Tyler community for five decades, starting in 1968 as Der Wienerschnitzel. It was rebranded as Wienerland in the 1980s and saw great success along East 5th Street. After the owners died in 2016, the location was sold. Wienerland then reopened in May 2017, but it closed again in August 2018.

The building is being torn down to make way for HTeaO, a modern iced tea franchise.

Even Light Rain Can Cause Damage To Your Roof

It’s easy to understand how large hailstones can cause damage to the roof of a home or business. The hail is large and heavy, and falling from the sky at an extremely fast rate. But did you know that even a light rain can be absolutely devastating to the roofs of some buildings?

It might sound silly, but it’s true.

If you have not had your roof replaced recently, then you most likely have some sort of hail damage. Texas sees hailstorms often. Just earlier this month, parts of East Texas were hit by hail as a line of powerful storms pushed through the area. It’s those prior storms that set your home or business up to be damaged by light rain.

Hail can leave bruises on a roof’s surface. The experts at Stonewater Roofing can help you identify these dark spots or dimples on your roof. A hail strike leaves these areas weakened and creates divots where rainwater can accumulate. In time, the divots erode to become holes. Now, instead of collecting rainwater, you will start to hear the ‘drip, drip, drip’ of a leak — even when there’s just a light shower.

Damaged shingles on a home.

A single leak may not seem like a huge problem, but it should not be underestimated. Soon, that leak could become significantly larger, ruin the insulation in your home or business, create discoloration or weak spots in the walls and ceilings, and wreak havoc on the living space or work area below.

Many things happen under a roof. Meals are shared. Business is done. Memories are made. Don’t let a small leak become a big hassle and interrupt the things that matter most. Let the highly trained experts at Stonewater Roofing take a look at your home or business and make sure that you’re safe from the next storm, no matter how small it may be.

Storms Bring Large Hail & Strong Winds To DFW

The first day of spring arrives later this month, but the DFW area already saw some early spring storms late Friday night and into Saturday morning. That included powerful winds and quarter-size hail, both of which can be damaging to your roof. Not only that, but more showers are expected throughout the coming week.

The storm was widespread, dropping hail on homes and businesses in many North Texas cities. Dallas, north Fort Worth, Grapevine, Lake Worth, Haltom City, Keller, Southlake, White Settlement, Flower Mound, North Richland Hills, Coppell, south Frisco, west Plano, Prosper, Allen and The Colony were all among those areas where damage was reported.

A neighborhood in Mesquite even felt the force of an EF0 tornado.

Most of the ugly weather has since pushed past the Metroplex, and the rest of Saturday looks to be warm and dry. But a cold front moves in on Sunday morning, bringing several days of rain to the area once again. Expect showers Monday through Wednesday, but no more severe weather.

Still, the rain alone could be enough to exacerbate any damage caused by the latest round of wind and hail, or damage that was previously caused to any homes and businesses. This is a good time to have your property assessed by a trusted and experienced roofing professional like the ones at Stonewater Roofing.