When severe storms move through Southwest Missouri, most people expect to find missing shingles or fallen tree limbs. What many property owners don’t expect is the amount of hidden damage high winds can cause to a commercial roofing system.
During a recent commercial roof inspection of Northpark Mall in Joplin, Missouri, the Ridgeline Roofing team responded to a leak at a local shopping center. What we found is a perfect example of why every commercial roof should be inspected after major storms, even if no obvious damage is visible from the ground.
Storm Debris Can Cause More Damage Than You Think
High winds don’t just affect the roof itself. They can turn loose equipment and building components into dangerous projectiles.
In this case, a large access panel from a rooftop HVAC unit was torn loose during the storm. The metal panel was blown across the roof, leaving behind approximately 40 punctures in the TPO membrane.
Each puncture created an opportunity for rainwater to enter the roofing system. With the heavy rainfall that followed, multiple leaks developed throughout the building.
Situations like this demonstrate why commercial roof inspections are so important after severe weather. Damage may not always be visible from the ground, but even small punctures can allow significant amounts of water into the insulation and roof assembly.
Understanding TPO Roofing Systems
Thermoplastic Polyolefin (TPO) roofing has become one of the most popular commercial roofing systems because it offers:
- Excellent energy efficiency
- Strong UV resistance
- Heat-welded waterproof seams
- Long service life
- Low maintenance requirements
However, like any roofing system, TPO can still be damaged by flying debris, hail, foot traffic, or years of thermal movement.
Routine inspections help identify these issues before they become expensive repairs.
Not Every Leak Comes From Storm Damage
While repairing the storm-created punctures, our inspection uncovered another issue that had nothing to do with the flying debris.
One section of the roof showed bubbling in the membrane. After investigating further, we discovered a stress crack in the TPO rather than a failed seam.
Stress cracks often develop as roofing materials naturally expand and contract through years of heating and cooling cycles. As temperatures fluctuate, roofing membranes move slightly. Eventually, certain areas experience more stress than others, especially near transitions or locations where movement is concentrated.
Finding and repairing these cracks early can prevent much larger water intrusion problems later.
Why Roof Movement Matters
Commercial roofing systems are constantly moving.
Daily temperature swings cause roofing materials to expand in the afternoon and contract overnight. Over many years, this repeated movement can create:
- Membrane stress cracks
- Surface bubbling
- Minor separations
- Additional wear around penetrations
These issues may not immediately result in leaks, but they often become weak points where water eventually finds a path into the building.
A trained commercial roofing contractor knows how to identify these warning signs before they become major repairs.
The Importance of Preventive Roof Inspections
Many commercial roof leaks begin as relatively small problems.
Prompt inspections after severe weather can identify:
- Wind damage
- Punctures from flying debris
- Membrane stress
- Open seams
- Roof drainage concerns
- HVAC-related damage
- Areas of trapped moisture
Addressing these issues early is almost always less expensive than replacing insulation, repairing interior damage, or performing emergency leak repairs after water has entered the building.
Protect Your Commercial Roof Before Small Problems Grow
Storm damage is not always obvious, and even durable roofing systems like TPO can develop hidden issues after severe weather. Whether damage comes from wind-driven debris or years of normal thermal movement, a professional inspection can identify problems before they become costly repairs.
Has your commercial roof been through recent storms? Don’t wait for a small leak to become a major expense. Contact us today or get a FREE instant roof quote now to schedule a professional commercial roof inspection.
Hear Tim’s Thoughts
Video Transcript: "Hey, it's Tim Yates of Ridgeline Roofing and Solar.
I'm with Dave and Spencer today and we got a call on a little leak over here at the (Northpark) mall today.
And the other day we had a call and after that storm and a door came off of that unit.
And it blew across this roof in that big storm we had last week.
And literally made 40 holes in this roof.
So it leaked pretty good with all that rain we had.
So we got all that sealed up.
There was one leak on this end of the roof that was kind of away from where all that trauma took place.
And so this is TPO, of course.
And then it doesn't have any ventilation.
It's got a little bit of condensating going on with the ISO. It's not bad.
A little bit of warping with the age of the roof is really not bad.
But there's no ventilation in this roof.
No one-way vents anywhere.
But walking across here, this is exactly the area where it's leaking.
This had water on it.
And you can see this area bubbling.
We got to looking at it.
And it actually has a stress crack right here in the TPO.
And that's where it was bubbling.
It actually wasn't coming out of the seam.
It was coming out of that stress crack.
So this roof's moving a lot.
Thermal expansion, whatnot.
It's moving this roof around.
And that's what we're getting.
So we're going to seal this up and hope that takes care of everything.
And if you need help with your roof, residential or commercial, please give us a call.
We'd love to help."