What to inspect on your roof now that the 2026 monsoon season has closed, in the order that matters.
Check your roof within the next few weeks, not after the first winter rain. From the ground, look for tile out of line, debris packed in valleys, exposed underlayment at the eaves, and gutters or scuppers that are blocked. Indoors, check ceilings near walls and light fixtures, and the attic for daylight, damp insulation or staining on the deck. An active drip needs attention today. Most of the rest can wait weeks, not months. If you may file a claim, photograph everything with timestamps before anything is repaired.
Because damage from this season is still undiscovered, and the record of when it happened is still fresh.
Tucson's monsoon ran June 15 through September 30 and delivered roughly half the year's rain in a handful of violent afternoons. Sixty mile per hour outflow winds, an inch of rain in twenty minutes, hail in some cells, and dust driven into every seam on the roof.
Most of what that did to Tucson roofs has not been found yet. A roof does not have to leak to be damaged. A storm that lifted flashing, cracked a pipe boot or slid three tiles out of course leaves a roof that is still watertight today and will not be in January.
There is a second reason October matters, and it has nothing to do with roofing. If you intend to file an insurance claim, the distance between the storm and your report is the single thing adjusters use to argue damage was gradual wear rather than a covered weather event. Most policies require prompt notice, commonly read as thirty to sixty days, and Arizona policies typically contain a clause limiting any lawsuit to twelve months from the date of loss.
Walk the full perimeter of the house and look up. You can do all of this safely in fifteen minutes.
Stand back far enough to read the courses as lines. Tile that has slipped, lifted at the nose, or rotated breaks the line and is visible from the ground. Pay attention to ridges and hips, which take the most wind.
Palo verde litter, mesquite beans and gravel pack into valleys during storms. A blocked valley turns the most concentrated water path on your roof into a dam. This is the single most common thing we clear on a post-monsoon visit.
Look up under the first course of tile along the edge. If you can see the membrane and it is black, brittle, curled or crumbling, that is the actual waterproof layer of your roof and it is failing.
On a shingle roof, granules in the gutter mean the surface took a beating. On a tile roof, black grit that is not granules is disintegrating felt washing out from under the tile.
Check that they are attached, not sagging, and actually draining. Storm debris blocks scuppers on flat roofs routinely, and water that cannot leave a flat roof is the leading cause of flat roof failure in Southern Arizona.
If you can see it from an upstairs window or safely from a ladder at the edge, note any area still holding water more than 48 hours after rain. Ponding degrades coating and finds seams.
Interior evidence often shows up before anything is visible outside.
Look for rings, discoloration or a patch of ceiling that looks slightly different in texture. Water travels along framing before it drips, so a stain by an interior wall often means an entry point several feet uphill.
These get looked at least and stain first because they sit under the roof's edges and transitions. Open closets and look up with a torch.
Transitions and penetrations are where installers cut corners, and where storms find the result. Check the ceiling and wall immediately around them.
Go up with a torch during daylight and look for pinholes of light, damp or matted insulation, dark staining on the underside of the deck, and rust on nail points. Daylight through the deck is a hole.
A musty note in a closed room that did not have one in May is worth taking seriously. Insulation holds moisture long after the drip stops.
Not always the roof, but storm driven rain finds failed exterior caulking too, and it is worth knowing which problem you have before you call a roofer.
Not everything on the list is an emergency, and treating it all as one is how people get oversold.
| What you found | Urgency | What it usually means |
|---|---|---|
| Active drip or wet ceiling | Today | Call now. An emergency tarp is $250 to $650 and stops the damage spreading while the roof dries enough for a real repair. |
| Daylight visible through the deck | This week | There is a hole. It will not improve and the next rain goes straight in. |
| Standing water 48 hours after rain | This month | Drainage problem. Left alone it is the most reliable way to destroy a flat roof. |
| Slipped or cracked tile, no leak | This month | Low urgency on its own, higher if the underlayment is old. Worth an inspection to find out which. |
| Blocked valleys or scuppers | This month | Cheap to clear now, expensive after it has dammed water through a winter. |
| Exposed or crumbling underlayment | Get it assessed | Usually the start of a lift and relay conversation rather than a repair. |
| Stain that is dry and old | Monitor | Photograph it, date it, and watch whether it grows after the next rain. |
Urgency reflects risk of further damage, not sales pressure. We regularly tell homeowners that what they found can wait until spring.
Photograph everything before anyone touches it, and understand that documentation is what claims turn on.
Take wide shots that establish the location and close ups that show the damage, and keep the original files with their timestamps intact rather than screenshots. Note the date of the storm you believe caused it if you can.
Do not have permanent repairs made before an adjuster has seen the damage, if you intend to file. Emergency work to prevent further damage is different and is generally expected of you, so tarp an active leak and keep the receipt.
One thing worth knowing before anyone knocks on your door this month. In Arizona, a contractor who offers to pay, waive or absorb your insurance deductible is committing insurance fraud under A.R.S. 20-463, a class 6 felony, and it can expose you as a participant in the claim. If someone offers it, that tells you what you need to know about them.
We go deeper on how coverage actually works, what is usually covered against what is usually denied, and the difference between replacement cost and actual cash value, in our guide to monsoon roof damage and homeowners insurance in Arizona.
Now. Monsoon season closed on September 30, and the gap between the storm that caused damage and the day you discover it is the gap insurers use to argue the damage was wear rather than weather. October is also when Tucson roofers have availability, before the winter rain calls start.
You can do the ground level and interior parts of this checklist safely, and you should. Do not get on the roof. Tile breaks underfoot and creates the leaks you are looking for, and a roof that took storm damage can have compromised decking you cannot see. Anything that needs eyes on the roof surface is worth a free inspection.
Cracked or slipped tile, debris packed into valleys, lifted or displaced ridge tile, and exposed underlayment at the eaves. The important part is what is underneath. Wind driven rain gets past tile routinely, and whether that becomes a leak depends on underlayment that is twenty years old on most Tucson homes.
Yes, and this is the most common mistake we see. A roof can take real damage and not leak until the next storm, because the first one only removed the margin of safety. Displaced flashing, a cracked boot or lifted shingle tabs all sit quietly until volume and wind line up again.
Ours is free, including photographs and written findings. It is also a sales visit, we are a roofing contractor hoping to earn the work, and we say so plainly. If you are in a dispute with an insurer or want a fully disinterested opinion, hire a paid independent inspector instead.
Photograph it with dates before anything is touched or repaired, including wide shots and close ups. Then decide whether it is a repair, a claim or both. Do not let anyone make permanent repairs before an adjuster has seen it if you intend to file, because that removes the evidence the claim rests on.
Free post-monsoon inspection with photographs and written findings, across Tucson, Marana, Oro Valley and all of Southern Arizona.
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