![\"Darker](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SCKGEDWWYVA6BLHMUCRE2VJW7Q.png\")
Darker roofs get much hotter, reaching over 150 degrees.(KBTX)Signs homeowners can spot from the ground<\/p>\nCOLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – Central Texas has already logged its fourth day of triple-digit heat this year, and local roofing experts say the intense temperatures are taking a bigger toll on homes than most people realize.<\/p>\n
While a thermometer might read the mid-to-upper 90s or low 100s on the ground, roofing surfaces can climb far higher. Rayne Knight, president of Aggieland Roofing, said dark shingles regularly reach 150 degrees in direct summer sun, and can spike even higher.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose roof temperatures are 150,\u201d Knight said. \u201cIf they\u2019re black, they can be up to 190 degrees. So, it\u2019s intense on the roof.\u201d<\/p>\n
That kind of heat does more than make a roof hot to the touch. Knight said it can strip away the granules that protect shingles, melt the membrane layer underneath and cause blistering. All signs of accelerated wear.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt can make the roofs completely lose granules,\u201d Knight said. \u201cWe see a lot of scuffing if people are up there because it starts to melt the sheet, you know, the membrane behind those granules. Lots of deterioration. If there\u2019s not proper ventilation, we can see blistering. So it affects it tremendously.\u201d<\/p>\n
Darker roofs get much hotter, reaching over 150 degrees.(KBTX)Signs homeowners can spot from the ground<\/p>\n
Knight said most heat damage doesn\u2019t require climbing onto the roof to notice.<\/p>\n
\u201cBlistering you can typically see from the ground if you\u2019re really looking for it,\u201d she said. \u201cGranules are the easiest to identify because after a rain, you know, you may see a whole bunch of granules similar to after a hailstorm in the driveway.\u201d<\/p>\n
Left unaddressed, that damage can leave a roof with little protection against hail or severe weather later in the year, Knight said.<\/p>\n
The hidden cost: your utility bill<\/p>\n
Beyond physical damage, Knight said poor roof ventilation caused by heat-related wear can show up in an unexpected place… a homeowner\u2019s energy bill.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe underlying cause, you know, you\u2019ll see it in those utility bills more so than ever,\u201d Knight said. \u201cIf you\u2019re not having the ventilation that\u2019s causing those kind of damages on the shingles, then you\u2019ll see it through the utilities as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Knight said extreme heat can shorten a roof\u2019s lifespan by as much as 10 years, even though Texas roofs are typically built to last 20 to 30 years.<\/p>\n
A warming trend, not a one-summer problem<\/p>\n
The extreme heat isn\u2019t an isolated event, according to Texas State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon, a Regents Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at Texas A&M University.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the past 50 years or so, temperatures in Texas have gone up by more than half a degree Fahrenheit per decade,\u201d Nielsen-Gammon said.<\/p>\n
Nielsen-Gammon said the number to watch is 100 degrees. A threshold he calls the tipping point between \u201cvery hot\u201d and \u201ctoo hot,\u201d especially when paired with humidity.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven\u2019t seen a lot of 100 degree days this year, but back in 2022 and \u201923, we had several dozen each year,\u201d Nielsen-Gammon said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s not the last time we\u2019re going to experience that, unfortunately.\u201d<\/p>\n
What homeowners can do<\/p>\n
Knight said the biggest mistake homeowners make is failing to check their roof after the initial installation.<\/p>\n
\u201cReally the thing I think that homeowners do the least… they get a new roof, everybody looks at it and then you go on with your life, and people just don\u2019t pay attention to the signs,\u201d Knight said. \u201cGranules in the driveway. Ooh, that\u2019s a little blister. I wonder why that\u2019s there.\u201d<\/p>\n
She recommends periodically checking for blistering, bare spots or granules collecting in the yard. She says these are small signs that, if caught early, could save homeowners thousands of dollars in repairs down the road.<\/p>\n
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