Nebraska homeowners know winter is unpredictable. One day it will be negative 20 and the next it’s 45. While these fluctuations may feel like a normal thing for Midwesterners, they create a powerful and often overlooked force that affects your home.

The constant cycle of freezing, melting, and repeating, can quietly cause damage to your roof all winter. Understanding how it works and how to prevent issues can protect your home from any costly repairs in the spring.  

During winter, melted snow and moisture settle into tiny gaps in your roofing materials. When temps drop below freezing, moisture expands. Over weeks or months, this expanding and contracting can lead to structural stress and roofing problems that many homeowners don’t notice until it’s too late.

Shingles, flashing, and sealants naturally expand and contract with the temperature, but when water gets underneath or inside these materials and freezes, it accelerates wear. Over time, this causes cracks, worn-out seals, and weak points that allow water to enter.

Repeated freezing can weaken the adhesive strips that keep shingles flat and secure. As the bond deteriorates, shingles may begin to lift or curl. Wind can then easily rip them off,  moisture can slip underneath, or ice dams can form more easily.  

You can experience moisture intrusion, and common signs are interior water spots, musty attic smell, damp insulation, and peeling paint or bubbling drywall. These things lead to rot, mold, and structural damage to your house.

Ice dams are also an issue where melted water flows to the roof’s edge and refreezes, forming a dam. This can cause water pooling, shingle damage, increased roof weight, and interior leaks. They are one of the most common and costly winter roofing problems in Nebraska.

To protect your roof, you should keep your gutters clean and clear, improve your attic ventilation and insulation, and make sure to schedule a roof inspection. Winter may not seem like the right time for roofing, but it’s actually one of the best times to identify damage early.

Stay safe, stay warm, and protect what matters most this winter.