The impact of high winds – how various roofing materials performed during Hurricane Ian

By Anna Lockhart.  

The Roofing Industry Committee on Weather Issues has created an extensive report detailing the impact of Hurricane Ian, which made landfall in 2022. This report contains valuable information about roofing materials and their durability to withstand high winds. 

Understanding the impact of severe weather on residential and commercial construction is incredibly important for professionals in the industry to understand their customer needs. Organizations like the Roofing Industry Committee on Weather Issues (RICOWI) exist to ensure that the public stays up to date on severe weather occurrences and their impact on the local residents and economy.  

RICOWI is a non-profit organization created to collect and report important information regarding severe weather such as high winds and how they create technical issues for roofing systems. Their work is incredibly valuable to roofing professionals, as they work to communicate with the industry what issues they see arising and how to address them to better serve home and building owners.  

In 2022, RICOWI partnered with the Storm Investigation Program (SIP) to create a highly detailed report on Hurricane Ian’s impact on low-slope and steep-slope roofing systems. These areas experienced high wind levels of 95 mph or higher during this weather event on September 28, 2022.  

Their investigation into the storm’s impact took place October 26-29, 2022, as RICOWI sent out four special teams to investigate roofs that were impacted by the storm across the Gulf Coast and Central Florida regions. Their findings in this report include various photographs, graphs and charts detailing the unbiased results of their investigation.  

The results are very informative and are a great resource for roofing professionals who serve communities in the Gulf Coast region of the United States. As technology continues to advance and more durable and innovative roofing products enter the market, it is important to learn from groups like RICOWI about how products perform and what solutions are available. In this report, they illustrate how older materials performed in the wake of Hurricane Ian compared to newer materials, as well as looked at other factors that could impact a roof’s durability in high wind events.  

Download the report for free to learn more about Hurricane Ian’s impact on roofs.  

Learn more about RICOWI from their website.