Short answerWind damage starts at the edges of a roof: the rakes, the eaves, the ridge and anything that sticks up through it. On shingles it breaks the seal and folds the tabs. On tile it lifts and shifts the ridge and rake pieces. Caught early, most of it is a repair.
What does wind damage look like on shingles?
Missing tabs, creased tabs that were lifted and folded back, and lifted ridge caps.
A crease across a shingle tab means the seal strip under it broke. The shingle may still be there, but the next wind can take it. Shingles in the yard or the gutter after a storm are the easy clue.
What does wind damage look like on tile?
Ridge and rake tile out of line or missing, tiles slipped down the slope, and flashing lifted at walls.
Tile is heavy, but the pieces on the edges and the ridge take the most wind. A gap at the ridge lets water straight onto the underlayment.
What can you check from the ground?
Look along the ridge line and the edges for gaps, look for pieces in the yard and gutters, and check the ceiling and the attic for new stains after the next rain.
Please don't climb onto a tile roof to look; tile breaks under feet that don't know where to step, and a roof after a windstorm is no place to learn.
Is wind damage a repair or a new roof?
Usually a repair, if it is caught before water has been getting in for a season. Once the deck under a gap has rotted, the repair gets bigger.
If you are not sure, our repair or replace checker gives you a starting point, and a free estimate gives you the answer. Gutters often come down in the same wind; see gutter repair.