Well, the April showers are past us, and the May flowers are blooming here in Boise, Idaho – but every time it rains the roof leaks are continuing to, well, leak.

Each spring, roofing contractors across the area are flooded (pun intended) with calls about roof leaks that have sprung. And this year is certainly no exception. The causes for so many leaks can be traced to a multitude of different factors, but the this year the majority are due to the record snowfall and rain we were inundated with this past winter and early spring.

The weight of all that excess snow placed extreme stress on roofing systems, particularly flat, commercial roofs, causing many to sag or bow, and in the worst cases, collapse. With that stress-induced shifting, many cracks and crevices were created, or areas that were already compromised sustained further damage, allowing snowmelt and then rain to seep through. Unfortunately, since most of the area’s roof leaks began while there was still heavy snowpack on their roofs, many home and business owners assumed there was nothing that could be done at the time, and did their best to cope with the leaks until spring.

In their naive yet erroneous assumption, many of those with roof leaks were unknowingly causing further damage to their roofs and the integrity of their homes or businesses. The reason is that as temperatures rise and fall with the changing seasons, water that has leaked down into cracks expands and contracts as it melts and re-freezes with the temperature fluctuations. This is basically the equivalent of using a crowbar to pry open the tiniest of gaps.

After winter’s damage had been done to roofs, spring rolled around and compounded the problem by dumping enormous amounts of rainwater across all of Boise, Idaho. That rainwater also made its way down through the weak or compromised areas of roofs and into the structure below, where it caused massive amounts of damage to the insides of homes and businesses.

As if the structural damage caused by roof leaks wasn’t enough, there is the added problem of roof leaks going unresolved too long and allowing toxic black mold to colonize and infest a building. This jeopardizes the health of occupants and further eats away at the structural integrity of the home or commercial property.

Now that warmer weather is upon us in Boise, Idaho, it’s time to remedy those roof leaks that have been plaguing our city for the past few months. Before you know it, Memorial Day will be here, kids will be out of school, and summer will pass by entirely too quickly.

Don’t count yourself amongst those who continue to put roof repairs off and then find themselves unprepared for fall and winter. Taking the time now to inspect your roof system, identify and repair leaks, and resolve internal damages whether structural or cosmetic will save you time and money down the road.

As Mother Nature continues to surprise us with unpredictable weather patterns, there’s no way to tell what the climate will be like next week, let alone in a few months. Don’t find yourself left out in the rain by not taking care of your roof leaks now (see what we did there?).