Arizona Monsoon Roof Checklist 2026: Before, During and After the Storms

What the monsoon does to a Phoenix roof

Since 2008 the National Weather Service has used fixed dates for the monsoon: June 15 through September 30. The 1991–2020 normal rainfall for that window at Phoenix Sky Harbor is 2.43 inches. It rarely arrives gently: storms drop much of their rain in minutes, pushed sideways by outflow winds.

The main threats to a roof are:

• Microbursts: short, violent downdrafts that spread out when they hit the ground. Winds can reach 100 mph in the strongest ones, enough to lift shingles, slide tiles off a ridge and drop trees on roofs.
• Haboobs: walls of dust pushed ahead of a storm's outflow. The wind does the damage; the dust clogs drains, valleys and gutters right before the rain arrives.
• Wind-driven rain: water that comes in sideways and finds gaps a straight-down rain would miss, especially at wall flashings, roof-to-wall joints, skylights and the edges of flat roofs.
• Hail: less common than in the Plains, but real. The October 5, 2010 storm dropped hail up to 2.5 inches across the metro, according to the NWS.
• Ponding on flat roofs: when a scupper or drain is half full of dust and leaves, a flat roof can hold standing water long enough to find any weak seam or coating.

Storms don't stop exactly on September 30. On October 12, 2025, moisture from the remnants of tropical cyclones Priscilla and Raymond dropped 1.96 inches at Sky Harbor in one day, a record for the date. Treat the whole stretch from mid-June into October as storm season.

How the 2026 monsoon played out

The 2026 season started slowly. By mid-August Sky Harbor had about 0.65 inches of rain against a normal of 1.45 inches for that point. Late storms, including two wet days on September 29 and 30, pushed the official total to roughly 2.5 inches, just above the 2.43-inch normal.

The average hides how uneven it was. Local totals reported for the 2026 season ranged from about 1 inch in Youngtown to nearly 8 inches in Carefree. The dust started early too: a dust storm rolled through Ahwatukee and south Phoenix on June 18, three days into the season.

A quiet summer at the airport doesn't mean your neighborhood had one. If your roof took a hard storm this year, or nobody has looked at it since spring, fall is the right time to check it, while the weather is mild and before winter rain.

Why summer heat sets up monsoon damage

Most monsoon leaks start as heat damage. Roof surfaces in the Valley commonly run 150–170°F on summer afternoons, then cool fast when a storm rolls in. That daily cycle dries out sealants, cracks pipe boots, opens gaps at flashing and makes older asphalt shingles brittle.

Tile roofs have a specific weak point. The concrete or clay tile can last for decades, but the underlayment underneath does the actual waterproofing. Older felt underlayment bakes, cracks and tears, and once it fails, every bit of wind-driven rain that gets past the tile goes straight to the deck. That is why a tile roof can look perfect from the street and still leak in its first big storm.

Foam (SPF) and other flat roofs depend on their coating. When the coating wears thin from UV, the foam underneath starts to degrade, and ponding water finds the weak spots.

Before the monsoon: what to check (April to mid-June)

The best window for a roof check is April through early June. Repairs are easy to schedule, crews aren't chasing emergencies, and anything found can be fixed before mid-June.

Tile roofs:

• Broken, slipped or missing tiles, especially along ridges, hips and rakes where wind hits hardest.
• Underlayment condition. A good inspection lifts a few tiles at sample spots and photographs the underlayment. Brittle, torn felt means patching tiles won't stop leaks for long.
• Valleys packed with debris or broken tile pieces, which push water sideways.
• Ridge and hip caps with cracked mortar or failed foam closures.

Shingle roofs:

• Lifted, creased or missing shingles, and shingles whose sealant strips no longer hold.
• Granule loss (look in gutters and at downspout outlets) and exposed nail heads.
• Ridge cap condition and any soft spots in the deck.

Flat and foam roofs:

• Every scupper, drain and canale cleared and running free.
• Coating thickness and wear, blisters, cracks and bird pecking in foam.
• Low spots that held water after the last rain.

Every roof:

• Pipe boots and roof jacks (rubber collars crack in the sun).
• Wall, chimney and skylight flashing and the sealant around them.
• A look in the attic for old water stains, which show where the roof has already leaked.

Our standard roof inspection is free. A comprehensive inspection with a full photo report is $149.

During a storm: what to do (and what not to do)

When a monsoon cell is overhead, the job is protecting people and the inside of the house. The roof can wait.

• Stay off the roof and off ladders. Wet tile and shingles are slick, wind gusts come without warning, and lightning is a real risk in these storms.
• If water is coming in, put down towels and buckets, move furniture and electronics, and keep people out from under any ceiling that is sagging or bulging with water.
• If water is near a light fixture or outlet, switch that circuit off at the breaker if you can do it safely.
• Take photos and short videos of the leak and any damage you can see from inside or from a safe spot outside. Your phone timestamps them.
• Note the time the storm hit and what it did (wind, hail size, how long it rained).
• If water is pouring in, call us for emergency leak response. Our crews answer 24/7 and can tarp or temporarily seal a roof once it's safe to get on it.

After the storm: the next 48 hours

Once it's daylight, walk around the house and look up.

• Tiles or tile pieces in the yard, on the patio or in the pool.
• Shingles, ridge caps or flashing lying on the ground, or bare patches on the roof.
• Bent or dented gutters, downspouts, vents and AC units (hail and debris impact).
• Branches resting on the roof.
• Water stains on ceilings or walls, and in closets and garages where nobody looks.

If you can get into the attic safely, check it with a flashlight within a day or two. Wet insulation, damp decking and drips around pipes and vents tell you where water got in, even if the ceiling below hasn't stained yet.

On flat roofs, standing water two days after a storm means a drain or scupper is blocked or the roof has a low spot. Both need attention before the next storm.

Keep your photos and receipts. If something looks wrong, get it inspected: small tile and flashing problems turn into deck rot and ceiling damage when the next storm comes through.

Insurance basics after monsoon damage

Whether storm damage is covered depends entirely on your policy, so start by reading it and talking to your insurer. Some general points apply to most claims:

• Report damage promptly. Policies set their own deadlines for notice, and waiting makes it harder to tie damage to a specific storm.
• Protect the house from further damage and keep the receipts.
• Document before cleanup: wide shots and close-ups, inside and out, with the date.
• Wear and tear, old underlayment and long-term leaks are usually treated differently from sudden storm damage. A roof that was already failing is a maintenance issue, not a storm claim.

We can inspect the roof, document what we find with photos, write the repair estimate in Xactimate line items and meet your adjuster on site if you'd like. Your insurer decides what is covered and what it pays. Arizona law also protects homeowners after a designated catastrophic storm: roof contracts tied to that storm must let you cancel within four business days of signing for any reason, and within 72 hours of a claim denial. And no licensed contractor may offer to cover or waive your deductible.

Repair or replace after the season?

Most monsoon damage is a repair: a few broken tiles, a lifted section of shingles, a failed pipe boot, a blocked scupper. Roof repairs in the Valley commonly run from a few hundred dollars to about $5,000, depending on the roof and access.

The honest exception is tile with worn-out underlayment. If the felt under your tile is brittle across the roof, replacing broken tiles fixes what you can see and leaves the real problem in place. The fix is a tile underlayment replacement (lift and relay): the tile comes off and is stacked, new underlayment and flashing go down, and your tile goes back on. We price that at about $4–7 per square foot of roof for concrete tile, with prices varying by size, pitch, access and material.

Shingle roofs that are losing granules across every slope, curling or cracking are usually near the end of their life, and a storm just speeds that up. A full replacement typically takes 1–3 days for shingle and 3–5 days for tile.

Use the roof cost calculator for a rough number, or get a free estimate.

Making it routine

A spring check and a quick post-season look cover most of the risk. If you'd rather not track it yourself, our maintenance plans put it on a schedule: Essential ($199 a year) is one visit, best booked before the monsoon; Premium ($349 a year) is two visits with minor repairs up to $200 included. Each visit includes a photo report and clearing valleys and roof drains.

Checklist

• Book a pre-monsoon roof inspection (high priority): Have the roof checked in April, May or early June, with photos of tile underlayment, flashing and penetrations.
• Clear every scupper, drain, canale and gutter (high priority): Remove dust, leaves and tile pieces so flat roofs and valleys drain freely when a storm drops an inch in an hour.
• Replace broken, slipped or missing tiles (high priority): Pay attention to ridges, hips and rakes. A loose tile is the first thing a microburst moves.
• Check tile underlayment age and condition (high priority): If the felt under your tile is brittle or torn, plan an underlayment replacement rather than patching tiles each season.
• Re-seal or replace cracked pipe boots and flashing (high priority): Sun-cracked rubber collars and open wall flashing are common entry points for wind-driven rain.
• Inspect foam and flat-roof coatings (medium priority): Look for thin, chalky or cracked coating, blisters and bird damage, and recoat where the foam is exposed.
• Secure loose shingles and ridge caps (medium priority): Shingles that have lost their seal can peel back in strong outflow winds.
• Trim branches back from the roof (medium priority): Keep limbs from touching or hanging over the roof so wind can't drag them across it or drop them on it.
• Photograph your roof before the season (medium priority): Dated photos of every slope give you a baseline to compare against after a storm.
• Check the attic for old water stains (medium priority): Stains on decking or rafters show where the roof has already leaked and where to look first.
• Know where your breaker panel and water shutoff are (medium priority): If water reaches a light fixture or outlet during a storm, you'll want to cut that circuit quickly.
• Save an emergency roofer's number (low priority): Keep a licensed roofer's 24/7 number handy so you aren't searching during a storm. Ours is (602) 849-7990.
• Walk the property after each big storm (high priority): Look for tiles, shingles or flashing on the ground, dents in vents and gutters, and new ceiling stains.
• Schedule a post-season check in October (low priority): Catch storm damage and heat wear before winter rain, while the weather is mild and scheduling is easy.

Related

• Roof Repair
• Professional Roof Inspection
• Tile Underlayment Replacement
• Roof Maintenance Plans
• Monsoon Roof Damage Guide
• How to Spot Hail Damage
• Storm Damage Response Guide
• Roof Insurance Claims