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Halloween weekend put more than two inches of rain on Tucson in three days. Here is how to find out what it did to your roof.
Check every ceiling, closet and the attic in the next few days, while any water that got in is still wet and easy to trace. An active drip or a ceiling that is sagging needs a call today. A fresh stain that is not growing can wait for an inspection this week. Do not climb onto a wet roof. Photograph everything with the date before anything is cleaned up or repaired.
This was not a normal fall shower. It broke records on three days in a row.
Tucson International Airport recorded 0.69 inch on Halloween, 1.23 inches on Sunday, November 1, and another 0.24 inch early Monday. Each was a record for its date. The 1.47 inches over November 1 and 2 made it the wettest start to any November since records began in 1894, and the 72-hour total at the airport was 2.16 inches. Gauges in the Santa Catalinas recorded several times that.
For context, Tucson’s normal for the whole month of October is well under an inch. A roof that has gone months without meaningful rain, then takes that much water over a single weekend, is being tested in a way the summer storms did not test it.
Monsoon storms hit hard and leave. A weekend of steady rain keeps water on the roof long enough to find every weak point.
On a tile roof the tile sheds most of the water, and the underlayment beneath it is the real waterproof layer. Old felt can survive a twenty-minute downpour and still fail when it sits wet for two days. This is the most common cause of “it only leaks in long rain” calls we see.
Hours of runoff let water track along the underlayment and the battens before it finds a gap. The stain on your ceiling is often several feet from where the water actually got in, which is why patching above the stain so often fails.
Flat and low-slope roofs drain through scuppers and drains. Debris washed off trees and neighbouring roofs blocks them, and water that cannot leave sits on seams and coating until it finds a way in.
Pipe boots, vents, skylights and evaporative cooler stands are sealed with flashing and sealant that dries out in the sun. They are fine in a short burst and wick water in a long rain.
Valleys carry the most concentrated water on a roof, and the joint where a roof meets a parapet or second-storey wall relies on flashing that is easy to get wrong. Both show up in long rain first.
Water that soaked into insulation or decking can take days or weeks to stain drywall. No stain today does not mean the roof stayed dry.
You can do all of this from the ground and inside the house. None of it needs a ladder on the roof.
Look for new stains, bubbling paint or drywall that has softened or sagged, especially near exterior walls, light fixtures, vents and in closets you rarely open.
With a flashlight, look for damp or matted insulation, dark staining on the underside of the deck, and water marks around pipes and vents. Walk only on framing.
From an upstairs window or the edge of a ladder, look for water still standing more than 48 hours after the rain stopped, and for scuppers that are blocked or dripping slowly.
Fresh staining or efflorescence on the walls under scuppers means water is coming off the roof in the wrong place or backing up behind the drain.
Stand back from the house and look for tile that has slipped or lifted. Heavy rain on its own rarely moves tile, but it shows where tile was already loose.
Branches, palo verde litter and gravel washed into valleys and onto flat sections will block the next rain. Note where it is so it can be cleared.
Not everything is an emergency. This is how we would rank what you find.
| What you found | How soon | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Active drip or water coming through a fixture | Today | Water near wiring is a safety issue, and drywall and insulation keep absorbing water until the source is stopped. |
| Ceiling that is sagging or bulging | Today | A ceiling holding water can come down. Keep people and pets out from under it and call. |
| New stain that is still wet or growing | This week | Trace it while it is wet. Once it dries the source is harder to find. |
| Water still ponding 48 hours later | This week | Standing water degrades coating and finds seams, and more rain will sit on top of it. |
| Blocked scuppers, drains or valleys | This week | They will not clear themselves before the next storm. |
| Old dry stain that has not changed | Within a few weeks | It may be an old leak, but this weekend is a good test of whether it is still active. |
| No signs at all | Next routine check | Good news. Check ceilings again in two weeks, since some leaks show late. |
Urgency reflects the risk of further damage, not sales pressure. If what you found can wait, we will tell you that.
A few things are worth doing right away. A few are worth not doing at all.
Move furniture and anything valuable away from the wet area and put a bucket or tub under any drip. If water is near a light fixture or outlet, switch off that circuit at the panel. Our emergency roof repair page walks through the full list.
Do not go up on a wet roof. Wet tile and wet coating are slick, tile breaks under foot, and most roof falls happen to homeowners doing exactly this. A temporary tarp on a pitched roof is a job for a roofer with fall protection.
Photograph the stains, the attic and anything you can see from the ground before anything is cleaned up, with the date visible or recorded. If you are thinking about a claim, that record matters. Our guide to what Arizona homeowners insurance covers explains how adjusters separate sudden storm damage from wear, and the same logic applies to this rain.
The questions we are hearing most this week.
Monsoon storms are short and intense. This weekend was long and steady, which keeps water on the roof for hours and lets it soak through aged underlayment and dried-out flashing that a twenty-minute storm never reached.
Yes. Water often travels along the underlayment, battens or framing before it drips, so the stain can be several feet from the entry point. That is why we trace leaks from the attic and the roof rather than patching above the stain.
Check ceilings and the attic now and again in about two weeks. Water held in insulation or decking can take time to show on drywall.
It depends on your policy and on the cause. Damage from a sudden event is generally treated differently from leaks caused by age and wear. Photograph everything with dates, read your policy, and see our Arizona roof insurance guide before you file.
For an active leak, yes. We can assess it and stop water where it is safe to do so. Full repairs on tile and flat roofs wait for dry weather so materials bond and the crew is safe.
More on leaks, water damage and claims.
Where the numbers and rules on this page come from.
Free roof inspection with photographs and written findings, across Tucson, Marana, Oro Valley and all of Southern Arizona.
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