Is Your Roof Ready for Extreme Weather?

Is Your Commercial Roof Ready for the Future of Extreme Weather?

Extreme weather events in the United States are on the rise, including powerful hurricanes, hail and other damaging conditions.

According to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), businesses are taking a variety of approaches to address risks associated with extreme weather. Initiatives to build resilience include developing disaster recovery plans, adding on-site energy resources like combined heat and power systems or rooftop solar, and identifying backup supply and distribution chains.

Commercial building owners have another important question to consider: Are your facilities prepared to withstand these events?

Extreme winds, flying debris and heavy rain are just a few of the potentially catastrophic challenges major storms pose that threaten a building’s structural integrity. While the entire building envelope is at risk during a storm, one area is of particular concern: your roof.

With numerous roofing options available, some roof systems are proven to outperform others against the elements. Let’s take a look at how investing in a high-performance roof system best protects your operational security over the long term.

Understanding The Threats Associated With Extreme Weather
Safeguarding your operations begins with understanding how and where extreme weather can impact your facilities.

Tropical storms and hurricanes can provide a useful example. One of the most significant risks under these types of storm conditions is the threat of flying debris. Major wind gusts can lift debris that may already be on the rooftop, as well as send loose material from nearby properties through the air. Debris can come in many forms, including tree branches, fencing, metal and vinyl siding, garbage cans, patio furniture, sheet metal, vehicle parts and more. Debris of any size or weight can pose a serious threat, with the potential to puncture or tear your roof membrane as it moves across the rooftop.

High winds are another serious threat. A roof’s windward perimeters and corners are often the first areas to fail under high wind conditions. If edge details are not properly installed or maintained, they can peel back, pull up and cause total roof failure.

Elsewhere, Very Severe Hail (or VSH, a rating developed by FM Global as part of its stringent roofing tests and approvals) can wreak havoc on commercial roofs. VSH is classified as hailstones that exceed two inches in diameter, or roughly the size of a baseball.

Beyond physical damage to the building and roof, any of these conditions can cause leaks that disrupt internal operations. For critical facilities like hospitals, data centers or any other operation that houses high-stakes activity, investing in a roof system that can protect against these threats offers a significant payoff—and peace of mind.

How Various Roof Membranes Perform in Extreme Weather
Single-ply roof membranes common to low-slope roofs vary widely in performance under extreme weather conditions. Low-slope commercial roofs often include one of four types of membranes:

• Thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO)
• Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
• Ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM)
• Ketone ethylene ester (KEE)

With lower costs than PVC or KEE membranes, EPDM and TPO are common selections. TPO, in particular, is the most widely installed membrane in the U.S. due to its low initial cost and broad familiarity among commercial roofing contractors.

Each membrane type offers pros and cons, but some can provide significant performance benefits. KEE-based membranes—like FiberTite^® —provide exceptional puncture resistance and durability compared to TPO or EPDM. This is in part because KEE membranes are constructed with a strong reinforcement layer not typical in TPO membrane construction.

For example, the FiberTite 36-mil membrane delivers more than two times the puncture resistance than a standard 60-mil TPO system, according to ASTM D4833 testing standards.

These properties can make a significant difference during severe weather. A FiberTite membrane is more likely to resist puncture and excessive wear from flying debris or foreign objects moving across the roof than a TPO alternative. Along the roof’s perimeters and corners, FiberTite may be less likely than TPO to tear or rip at the seams or at the point of fastening, reducing the chance for wind uplift and subsequent roof failure.

Proactively Preparing Your Roof for Extreme Weather
Investing in a high-performance roof membrane like FiberTite enhances your facility’s physical protection. Building owners and managers can also take additional steps to ensure storm readiness.

For example, making sure to inspect the roof in advance of hurricane season, including removing existing debris, will help to minimize risk of that debris causing damage in a storm. Ensuring scheduled, routine preventive maintenance can further mitigate severe weather risks. Finally, closely examining edge details before high winds can uncover potential issues such as:

• Improper fastener installation or adhesion failure
• Loose or disconnected metal edges
• Open seams

So, is your facility prepared for extreme weather that can threaten your operational security? FiberTite Roof Systems have demonstrated long-term resistance to some of the greatest threats Mother Nature has to offer.

It’s one reason FiberTite membranes maintain an industry-leading 40-year reference service life (RSL) through a cradle-to-grave environmental product declaration (EPD).

FiberTite membranes provide excellent resistance to chemicals, punctures, abrasion, weathering, fire and other major threats that commercial roof systems face.

Interested in learning more? Discover what the FiberTite Advantage can do for your operations, and get in touch with our teams to discuss your potential project.

Prepare for Extreme Weather With the FiberTite Advantage