Roofing guide · Jacksonville, FL
Getting a Jacksonville roof ready for hurricane season
By Holden Lovett, Roofing Guides Editor · Updated September 2026
Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, and the roof is the part of the house a storm tests first. Most of the work that matters happens months before a storm is named. Here is a spring-to-storm checklist for Jacksonville roofs.
- Seasonal guide
- Storm prep
- Jacksonville, FL
To get a Jacksonville roof ready for hurricane season, which runs June 1 to November 30, inspect it in spring, fix loose or creased shingles, lifted flashing and cracked pipe boots, clear valleys and gutters, and trim limbs over the roof. When a storm is forecast, secure loose items, photograph the roof, and keep a roofer's number handy; do not climb the roof once wind rises.
Timing
Why spring is the time
Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and roofers are busiest right after a storm, not before one. Spring gives you dry days, open schedules and time to order materials, which is when small repairs are cheap and easy.
Jacksonville does not need a direct hit to take roof damage. During Irma in 2017 the Weather Service logged gusts of 69 to 74 mph at NAS Jacksonville, Craig Airfield and Mayport and a roof blown off a home in Sans Souci, and during Milton in 2024 a 61 mph gust hit Naval Station Mayport. A roof that is sound in May is far more likely to be sound in October.
The checklist
What to check on the roof
Most of this can be spotted from the ground with binoculars, and all of it is covered by a roof inspection. What you find decides whether a spring tune-up is enough or a repair is due.
- Missing, creased or lifted shingles, especially at edges and ridges
- Ridge and hip caps that are cracked or loose
- Flashing at chimneys, walls and skylights that has lifted or rusted
- Pipe boots that are cracked or split
- Valleys and gutters clear of leaves and pine straw
- Drip edge fastened tight along eaves and rakes
- On metal roofs, screws with cracked washers or backed-out heads
- On tile roofs, cracked or slipped tiles and exposed underlayment
Want the roof checked before june?
Call and we will inspect it, photograph every slope, and fix the small things before the season starts.
Around the roof
Trees, gutters and the attic
Limbs over a roof are the other storm risk. The National Hurricane Center's report on Irma records widespread tree damage across northeast Florida, and a limb that scrapes the roof in a breeze becomes a battering ram in a hurricane. Have an arborist trim anything overhanging before the season starts.
Clean the gutters so storm rain can leave the roof instead of backing up under the edge, and look in the attic for old stains, rusted nail tips or daylight at the deck. Each one is a weak point the storm will find.
Higher-risk roofs
Beach houses and older homes need a closer look
Two kinds of Jacksonville roofs deserve extra attention before the season. At Atlantic Beach and Jacksonville Beach, coastal storms are a common cause of wind-uplift shingle loss and membrane damage, and shaded roofs there grow algae that speeds granule loss, so edges, ridge caps and fasteners should be checked closely every spring.
In Riverside and Avondale, many homes are craftsman bungalows and other houses from 1900 to 1940, often over original plank decking. Old decks and old fastening are exactly what a hurricane tests, so an attic check of the deck belongs on the spring list there. See historic home roofing for how those roofs are handled.
Hardening
Upgrades worth making before the season
If the roof is due for replacement, doing it before June is the single biggest improvement you can make. A reroof is also the moment to add the upgrades that matter most in a hurricane: deck re-nailing, a secondary water barrier over the deck, and better roof-to-wall connections where they can be reached.
The state's My Safe Florida Home program offers a free wind mitigation inspection and, when funding is open, matching grants toward these upgrades. See wind mitigation upgrades and our guide to the grant.
The last few days
When a storm is forecast
Once a storm is named and heading your way, the roof work is done. What is left is protecting the house and keeping a record of the roof's condition.
- Bring in or tie down anything in the yard that could hit the roof
- Photograph the roof and the ceilings inside, dated, before the storm
- Clear gutters and downspouts one last time if it is safe from the ground
- Stay off the roof; do not try to tarp or seal anything once wind is rising
- Save a roofer's number so you can call as soon as it passes
Afterward
After the storm passes
Look from the ground first: shingles or tiles in the yard, lifted ridge caps, dented vents and gutters. Check the ceilings and the attic for new stains. Damage that does not show from the ground, like creased shingles and broken seals, often surfaces weeks later, so a post-storm check is worth booking even when the roof looks fine.
If water is coming in, protect the room first and call; see what to do first when a roof leaks.
Questions we hear
Hurricane season roof questions
Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30.
In spring, before the season starts, and again after any significant storm.
Not a sound roof. Tarps are for damage that already exists; a tarp on an undamaged roof can catch the wind and cause damage.
If it is near the end of its life, yes. A new roof with deck re-nailing and a secondary water barrier resists storms far better than an old one.
Every side of the roof from the ground, the attic, and the ceilings inside, with dates. It records the roof's condition before the storm.
No. Once wind is rising, stay off the roof and wait for the storm to pass.
Get the roof storm-ready while the weather is calm
Call any hour. We inspect and repair roofs across Jacksonville before and after hurricane season.
