Post-Windstorm Exterior Checklist for Skagit, Island and Whatcom County Homes

Updated August 2026 · Alpine Exteriors · WA contractor license ALPINI751OW

Why This Checklist Matters in This Region

Windstorms in this corner of Washington rarely make national news, but the combination of wind, saturated ground and marine exposure does real damage year after year. Gusts funnel across the open Skagit flats between Mount Vernon and Burlington with almost nothing to slow them down, then pick up again off the water for homes in Anacortes, La Conner, Camano Island and along Bellingham's shoreline. None of this is hurricane weather, but a fall or winter frontal system moving through at 45 to 60 mph, arriving on top of ground that has already absorbed weeks of Pacific Northwest rain, is enough to loosen root plates, rack fence panels, and peel back roofing that was already weakened by moss and age. This checklist reflects the failure points Alpine Exteriors sees most often once a storm moves through the area.

The islands and coastal towns add a second variable: salt-laden air off the Sound and the Strait accelerates corrosion on fasteners, flashing and hardware faster than it would inland in Sedro-Woolley or Stanwood. Meanwhile, shaded roof slopes on wooded lots throughout the region tend to grow moss between storms, and a wind event can shift or tear that moss mat loose, taking granules and sometimes whole shingle tabs with it. Up toward the foothills, occasional ice and snow add freeze-thaw stress to anything already cracked or lifted. Walking the exterior methodically after a windstorm, before the next system arrives, is the cheapest damage-control step a homeowner has.

The Checklist

Roof

• Shingles or shakes lifted, cracked, or missing — wind can peel a tab loose without detaching it fully, leaving the nail line exposed to the next rain.
• Ridge caps displaced or nail heads showing — ridgelines take the highest uplift load in a gust and are where cap failures usually start.
• Moss mats torn loose or shifted — moss that lifts can pull granules and shingle material with it, thinning the roof's protection right where it lifted.
• Flashing bent or pulled away around chimneys, skylights and vent pipes — flashing failures are one of the most common sources of slow leaks after a storm.
• Debris built up in valleys — needles and branch litter trap water against the roof deck long after the storm passes.

Gutters and Downspouts

• Gutters sagging or pulled away from the fascia — wind load on waterlogged leaf debris is often what finally tears a bracket loose.
• Downspouts dented or disconnected at elbows — a disconnected downspout dumps water straight against the foundation instead of away from it.
• Clogs from fir needles and bigleaf maple leaves — common everywhere in this region and worse right after wind brings a fresh load down.
• Cracked seams on older gutters — more likely on properties closer to Sedro-Woolley and the upper valley, where freeze-thaw cycles are more frequent.

Siding and Trim

• Panels cracked, lifted, or missing — wind uplift on lap and panel siding usually starts at a bottom edge or outside corner.
• Trim separating at corners or butt joints — a sign the substrate behind it may already be moving.
• Caulking pulled away from windows, doors, and penetrations — even a hairline gap here becomes a path for wind-driven rain.
• Rust streaks around fasteners or flashing — more common on island and shoreline properties, where salt air speeds up corrosion.

Windows and Doors

• Cracked or stressed glass from wind-driven debris impact.
• New drafts or difficulty latching — a sign the frame has racked slightly under wind pressure.
• Weatherstripping torn or displaced — beyond comfort, worn weatherstripping undercuts the performance older windows were originally rated for.
• Fogging or condensation between panes on dual-pane units — a sign the seal has failed, whether or not this storm caused it.

Note: if window or door damage is severe enough to warrant replacement rather than repair, the new units need to meet current Washington State Energy Code requirements for this climate zone, which is worth confirming with whoever does the work.

Decks and Attached Structures

• Loose or lifted deck boards and railings — fasteners back out under repeated wind flex.
• Ledger board connection to the house — this is the single most safety-critical point on an attached deck and worth a close look after any high-wind event.
• Post bases shifted or cracked at covered patios and pergolas.
• Fence panels leaning or down — wind load on solid fence panels is significant, and a leaning section can fail completely in the next gust.

Yard and Perimeter

• Trees or limbs now leaning over the roof or driveway that weren't leaning before.
• Heaved or cracked soil at the base of large trees — a root plate that has started to lift is often the clearest warning sign of a tree about to come down, especially in already-saturated ground.
• Utility risers, meter bases, or overhead drop lines disturbed near the house.

What to Do If an Item Fails

Start with safety, not repair. If a line to the house looks down or a meter base is damaged, stay clear and call the utility before doing anything else. Don't get on a wet or moss-covered roof to inspect it up close; that combination is slicker than it looks from the ground, and a fall risk isn't worth confirming what a pair of binoculars or a phone camera can already tell you.

For anything actively letting water in, a temporary tarp or plastic sheeting secured well past the damaged area is reasonable as a stopgap, but it should be treated as exactly that. A tarp is not a repair, and in a region that gets sustained winter rain for months at a time, tarps shift, wind gets under an edge, and water finds its way in around the staples or nails used to secure them. Photograph everything before you cover it, from a few different angles and with something for scale, since that documentation matters for insurance whether or not you end up filing a claim. If a downed tree or limb is resting on the structure, leave it alone until someone qualified has assessed the load it's putting on the roof or deck framing; removing it wrong can make a bad situation worse.

When to Call a Professional

Some of the items above are fine to monitor for a season if they're minor and stay dry. Others aren't. Call a licensed contractor if you see any structural movement, active water intrusion anywhere inside the home, more than a handful of missing or lifted shingles, exposed underlayment, or damage anywhere you'd have to get on a ladder or the roof to reach safely. It's also worth having a professional look at a roof that turns out to have significant moss damage once the storm exposes it, since that's usually evidence of a maintenance gap that predates the wind event and will keep causing problems until it's addressed. Alpine Exteriors inspects storm damage across Skagit, Island and Whatcom counties and can tell you honestly whether something is a minor fix, a bigger repair, or just cosmetic.

Post-Windstorm FAQ

How soon after a windstorm should I check my roof and exterior?

As soon as it's safe to be outside and daylight allows, ideally before the next rain system arrives. Back-to-back frontal systems are common here in fall and winter, and a small opening in flashing or siding that sits through a second or third storm tends to become a much larger repair than it would have been if caught early.

Can I inspect my own roof, or should I stay off it entirely?

A ground-level or binocular check from several angles is fine and often tells you what you need to know. Actually walking the roof deck is a different matter, especially with moss, moisture, or steep pitches common on homes in this region, and it's reasonable to leave that part to someone with the right footing and equipment.

Does homeowners insurance typically cover wind damage here?

Many policies do cover sudden wind damage, but coverage details, deductibles and exclusions vary by carrier and by policy, and pre-existing issues like long-term moss damage are often treated differently than fresh storm damage. Photograph damage promptly and read your specific policy, or call your agent, rather than assuming any general answer applies to your situation.

Does salt air near the islands and shoreline really change what I should look for?

Yes. Homes in Anacortes, La Conner, and along Camano Island's shoreline tend to see faster corrosion on exposed fasteners, flashing and hardware than homes further inland. After a windstorm, it's worth looking a little more closely at rust staining and fastener condition on these properties, since corrosion can weaken a connection well before it becomes a visible failure.

Schedule a Storm Damage Inspection

If your post-storm walk-around turned up anything on this list, or you'd simply rather have a second set of eyes before the next system rolls in, Alpine Exteriors offers exterior inspections for homeowners throughout Mount Vernon, Anacortes, Burlington, Sedro-Woolley, La Conner, Stanwood, Camano Island and Bellingham. We're licensed in Washington under contractor license ALPINI751OW and we'll tell you plainly what needs attention now, what can wait, and what's just cosmetic. Reach out to set up an inspection before the next round of weather comes through.