Winter storms can hit Cincinnati hard. Between the ice and the wind, the gusts and gales of the winter season can take a toll on all of us, and on our houses.
When the consequences of winter storms finally add up to a critical point, it can cause a disaster, even here in Cincinnati. Channel 5 (WLWT) interviewed a local man whose oak tree sent massive branches crashing into his roof in the pre-dawn hours.
“At five a.m. it sounded like a car hit the house,” said Mike Longbons.
But Longbons was lucky. The damage from those falling limbs could have been even more catastrophic.
The Issue with Trees and Your Roof in Cincinnati
Here in Cincinnati, we’re very fortunate to have a lot of trees in most areas in and around the city. Many Cincinnati homes feature old-growth trees in their yards and along their streets. Towering oaks, maples, and walnut trees dominate the skyline in many Tri-State neighborhoods.
In the winter, after these trees have lost their leaves and gone dormant for the winter, the limbs of these giant, sky-high trees freeze. And once those wintry winds pick up, those massive, frozen limbs can become brittle. Frozen wood can snap, and those winds can send branches falling down to earth … or onto our roofs. A wind cutting across the Ohio Valley can skim across all of our rooftops. Those huge branches can pop and snap in two. Quite easily, they could take out a large section of your roof (or cause lots of other kinds of scary and dangerous damage).
How to Keep Your Cincinnati Roof Safe This Winter
To make sure your roof is safe, we recommend that you have a tree service come inspect the trees on your property. If you have large, heavy branches over your rooftop, they may recommend trimming those back. Pruning the tops of those trees could prevent serious structural damage.
Many Cincinnati-area tree services offer free estimates. Letting a tree expert come take a look could be just the preventive medicine you need to stave off massive expenditures on roof repair.
And if you’re concerned about any damage that’s already been done to your roof, give us a call here at Harper. We aren’t tree experts, but we are an expert roof repair company: we can tell you how to get your roof back into top shape as soon as possible.