How to Prepare Your Roof for Philadelphia’s Harsh Winter Weather

Home Services Residential Roofing Commercial Roofing Gutter Installation & Repair Skylights Repair & Installation Emergency Services Service Area Philadelphia, PA Ardmore, PA Bala Cynwyd, PA Bensalem, PA Bristol, PA Cheltenham, PA Chester, PA Conshohocken, PA Drexel Hill, PA Fort Washington, PA Havertown, PA Jenkintown, PA King of Prussia, PA Lansdale, PA Levittown, PA Media, PA Norristown, PA Plymouth Meeting, PA Springfield, PA Upper Darby, PA Wayne, PA Willow Grove, PA Wynnewood, PA Our Projects About Us Blogs Testimonials Insurance Claim Contact Us X (215) 431-2343 Home Services Residential Roofing Commercial Roofing Gutter Installation & Repair Skylights Repair & Installation Emergency Services Service Area Philadelphia, PA Ardmore, PA Bala Cynwyd, PA Bensalem, PA Bristol, PA Cheltenham, PA Chester, PA Conshohocken, PA Drexel Hill, PA Fort Washington, PA Havertown, PA Jenkintown, PA King of Prussia, PA Lansdale, PA Levittown, PA Media, PA Norristown, PA Plymouth Meeting, PA Springfield, PA Upper Darby, PA Wayne, PA Willow Grove, PA Wynnewood, PA Our Projects About Us Blogs Testimonials Insurance Claim Contact Us X (215) 431-2343 December 26, 2025 12:45 pm Philadelphia winters have a personality all their own. One day you’re enjoying a crisp, sunny walk down the Schuylkill River Trail, and the next, you’re shoveling six inches of heavy, wet snow off your sidewalk while the wind whips down Broad Street. We love our city, but the weather here doesn’t mess around. And if there’s one part of your home that takes the absolute brunt of that unpredictable mid-Atlantic winter, it’s your roof. As second-generation roofers here at Discounted Roofing LLC, we’ve seen it all. We’ve seen what a surprise Nor’easter can do to a roof that wasn’t ready. We’ve seen how a few freeze-thaw cycles can turn a tiny crack into a living room waterfall. With over 30 years of experience serving Philly and the surrounding suburbs from Bensalem to King of Prussia, we know that a little preparation goes a long way. So, grab a coffee, and let’s talk about how to get your home ready before the first real freeze hits. This isn’t just about avoiding leaks, it’s about peace of mind. Here is your comprehensive guide to winter roof prep in Philadelphia. The Why Behind the Prep: Understanding Philly’s Freeze-Thaw Cycle Before we dive into the checklist, it helps to understand exactly what we are fighting against. If it just stayed below freezing all winter, roofs might actually be happier. The snow would just sit there. But in Philadelphia, we constantly hover around that freezing mark. It rains, it freezes, it thaws, and then it freezes again. This cycle is brutal for roofing materials. When water gets into a small crack in a shingle or a gap in your flashing and then freezes, it expands. That expansion pushes the crack open a little wider. When the ice melts, more water gets into that now-larger crack. When it freezes again? You guessed it: even more damage. This is how a roof that looked fine in October ends up leaking in February. Preparing your roof isn’t just a chore, it’s a defensive strategy against physics. Step 1: The Indoor Inspection (Yes, Start Inside) Believe it or not, the best place to start your winter roof prep in Philadelphia is actually inside your house. Grab a flashlight and head up to the attic. What you’re looking for isn’t always obvious. You aren’t just looking for dripping water. You want to look for signs of moisture that might have seeped in during the fall rains. Look at the underside of the roof deck (the plywood sheets). Do you see any dark stains? Any streaks? Even a small water stain indicates a breach in the system. Also, turn off your flashlight for a moment and look for daylight. If you can see light peeking through the roof boards, water can definitely get in. While you are up there, check your insulation. A lot of the ice dams we see in Philly row homes and suburban houses happen because the attic is too warm. If your insulation is matted down or missing, heat from your house escapes into the attic, melting the snow on the roof. That meltwater runs down to the cold eaves and refreezes, creating an ice dam. Proper insulation keeps the heat in your living space and the attic cold exactly how it should be. Step 2: The Gutter Game Plan If there is one thing you take away from this blog, let it be this: Clean your gutters. We know, it’s nobody’s favorite weekend activity. But in our climate, clogged gutters are public enemy number one. Think about all those beautiful trees we have in Pennsylvania oaks, maples, sycamores. They drop a ton of leaves, and if you haven’t cleaned them out by December, you are setting yourself up for trouble. When gutters are clogged with wet, rotting leaves, they freeze into a solid, heavy block of ice as soon as the temperature drops. This creates two major problems: Weight: That ice is heavy. It can literally rip the gutters right off your fascia boards, causing damage to the wood and the exterior of your home. Ice Dams: When the gutters are clogged, melting snow has nowhere to go. It backs up under your shingles. Once water gets under the shingles, it can leak directly into your walls and ceilings. Get up there (safely) and clear out the muck. Make sure the downspouts are flowing freely. If the water isn’t moving away from your house, it’s going to end up in your basement or cracking your foundation when it freezes. Step 3: Shingle Patrol You don’t necessarily need to climb up on the roof to do a preliminary check (and honestly, we don’t recommend you climbing up there once it’s icy or wet). Grab a pair of binoculars and do a walk-around of your property. Scan your roof for the obvious red flags: Missing Shingles: If a shingle blew off during a fall storm, the underlayment is exposed. That paper-thin layer