Short answer: Puget Sound windstorm season runs October through February, and its signature damage is invisible from the ground — broken shingle seals and loosened flashing that leak slowly all winter. The defense is equally unglamorous: fall preparation and a prompt inspection after any major blow.
How our windstorms work
Fall and winter Pacific systems drive the region's strongest winds, and geography decides who feels them worst. Elevated, exposed neighborhoods — the Issaquah Highlands, the hills above Lake Washington in Renton and Kennydale, ridge tops in Bothell and Newcastle, and shoreline stretches from West Seattle to Mercer Island — take gusts that sheltered valley streets never see. Longtime residents remember the benchmarks: the 2006 Hanukkah Eve storm, the 1993 Inauguration Day storm. Smaller versions arrive every year.
What wind does to a roof
Shingles resist wind through an adhesive seal strip. A strong gust that gets under an edge breaks that seal — and here's the trap: the shingle usually settles back into place looking perfectly normal. Unsealed, it lifts further in the next storm, and wind-driven rain now has a path underneath. Flashing fails the same way, working incrementally loose at chimneys, skylights, and wall junctions. Add branch impacts from loaded evergreens, and a single storm can leave a roof measurably compromised with nothing visible from the driveway.
The post-storm move
After any significant windstorm, get eyes on the roof — professionally, not from a ladder in the wind's aftermath. Our free storm inspections photograph everything, and the documentation serves double duty: it catches damage before it becomes winter-long leaks, and it timestamps the evidence if an insurance claim makes sense. Insurance covers sudden storm damage, not wear — and prompt documentation is what keeps that distinction clean.
The October checklist
- Gutters and downspouts cleared (backed-up water plus wind is how eaves fail)
- Valleys and roof surface cleared of debris
- Overhanging branches trimmed before the wind prunes them onto your shingles
- Known weak points — lifted shingles, aging flashing — repaired while October schedules still have room
Storm-season phones fill fast after the first big blow. The homeowners who called in October are the ones not waiting with buckets in November. Free estimates and inspections: (425) 270-1525.