Lifted Shingles After Wind: What They Mean and How They Are Fixed

A lifted shingle is one that has come loose from the shingle beneath it, so its bottom edge flaps or curls up when the wind blows. It is usually not leaking yet, but it is the shingle most likely to crease, tear or blow off in the next storm. If you can see shingles lifting from the ground, or they flutter in a breeze, have them checked and sealed or replaced soon. A shingle that is creased or torn needs to be replaced; one that has only come unsealed can often be sealed back down.

Why shingles lift in the first place

Every asphalt shingle has a strip of sealant on it. Once the shingle is on the roof, the sun warms that strip and it bonds to the shingle in the course below. Atlas puts it plainly in its ProLam instructions: the adhesive strips on each shingle seal to the shingle beneath by heat from sunlight. That bond is what keeps the wind from getting under the bottom edge. Nails hold the shingle on the roof; the seal keeps it flat.

When the seal fails, the shingle is held only by its nails, and wind can get under the edge and bend it back. That is a lifted shingle. The usual reasons:

• Wind broke the seal. A strong gust can pop the bond, often along the edges of the roof and on the side facing the storm.
• It never sealed well. The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) says sealing time varies with the roof's slope, which way it faces and how much sun and heat the shingles get. Shingles put on in cold weather, or on a shaded north slope, can take a long time to bond.
• The seal was broken and never redone. ARMA notes that in cold weather the bond between courses becomes less flexible and foot traffic can break it. Any time someone walks a roof or lifts shingles to work on something, those shingles need to seal again.
• Nails in the wrong place. High nails, overdriven nails or too few nails let a shingle move. Atlas warns in its ProLam instructions that nail placement is important for wind resistance and that incorrectly placed nails void the wind coverage of the warranty. Our post on roofing nails shows where they belong.
• Age. Seals weaken over the years. The Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) tested shingles weathered for 10 years and reported in September 2026 that unsealing remains the single greatest driver of wind vulnerability in asphalt shingles, and that most products tested lost wind resistance between years five and 10.

How to spot lifted shingles from the ground

Please do not climb up to check. A loose shingle can slide out from under your feet. From the yard, or with binoculars, look for:

• Movement. On a breezy day, a lifted shingle flutters or lifts and drops. Sealed shingles do not move.
• Shadows and gaps. A dark line under the bottom edge of a shingle, or an edge that sits higher than the ones beside it, means it is no longer lying flat.
• A straight line across the shingle. When wind bends a shingle back hard, it can crease across the face, usually up near the nail line. A crease often shows as a thin line where granules are missing.
• Curled corners or tabs bent back at the edges of the roof, along rakes and near the ridge.
• Nails showing. A nail head poking up under a shingle can hold the edge up and wear a hole through the shingle above it.

Take dated photos, especially after a windstorm. They help with a claim.

Lifted, creased or gone: which one do you have?

These three look alike from the ground but are fixed differently:

• Lifted (unsealed), no damage. The shingle is whole and lies flat when pressed down, but the seal has let go. This can often be sealed back down by hand.
• Creased or torn. The shingle was bent far enough to crack its mat. A crease does not heal and lets water and wind in at the fold, so the shingle is replaced.
• Missing. The shingle is gone. See our post on whether missing shingles cause leaks for what is under the gap and what to do today.

Most wind-damaged roofs have some of each. That is why we check every shingle in the area, not just the one you can see moving.

Will lifted shingles seal back down on their own?

Sometimes, on a newer roof in warm, sunny weather, a shingle that only came loose will bond again, because the sealant is heat activated. We do not count on it. Once a seal has been broken, dust, granules and pollen often get onto the strip, and an older strip may not have much stick left. A shingle that is creased will not fix itself no matter how warm it gets. If a shingle is still lifted after a few warm weeks, or it is creased, it needs a repair.

How lifted shingles are fixed

On a repair visit we:

1. Find all of them. We walk the roof and check the shingles around anything you saw, along the edges and on the slope that faced the wind.
2. Replace any that are creased, torn or missing. New shingles are nailed where the manufacturer calls for, then sealed so they lie flat and blend with the roof.
3. Fix the nails. Raised, crooked or badly placed nails are corrected, because a shingle that is not nailed right will lift again.
4. Seal the lifted ones by hand. ARMA says shingles can be hand-sealed with an approved asphalt roofing cement for better protection against wind blow-off. The cement goes in small spots under the edge. For very steep slopes, Atlas's ProLam instructions describe six quarter-size spots of asphalt plastic cement about 1 inch up from the bottom edge, with the cement not exposed once the shingle is pressed down, and warn that too much cement can make shingles blister. More is not better.
5. Re-seal the courses we lifted. Lifting a course to slide in a new shingle breaks that course's seal too, so those are sealed again before we leave.

What it costs to fix lifted shingles

We publish our repair prices. On a standard-pitch (up to 6/12), one-story home:

• Replace up to 5 shingles: $379
• Replace up to 1 bundle of shingles (about 33 square feet): $786
• Replace up to 2 bundles (about 66 square feet): $1,038
• Replace up to 3 bundles (about 100 square feet, roughly one roofing square): $1,316

Steeper roofs cost more, and two-story homes add 12%. Every line is on our roof repair price book. A repair visit starts with a $79.99 diagnostic that includes our 21-point roof inspection and attic analysis, with the photos shown to you on a tablet. Patriot Care Club members pay no service fee and get 10% off repairs. We present what we find as Need To Do, Should Do and Could Do, and you approve every repair before work begins.

When lifted shingles mean a bigger problem

A few loose shingles after a hard storm is a normal repair. A pattern is different. Be suspicious if:

• Shingles lift all over the roof, not just on the windward side or the edges.
• The same roof needs shingles sealed or replaced after every storm.
• Many nails are visible, high or backing out.
• The roof is near the end of its life. In Arkansas we figure 15 to 20 years for asphalt shingles.

That points to an install problem or a roof whose seals are worn out, and repeated repairs may cost more than they save. Our repair or replace guide walks through the decision. If replacement makes more sense, every Patriot roof package uses starter shingles on the eaves and rakes. You can see what is in each package on our roof replacement page.

Lifted shingles after a windstorm and insurance

Shingles creased, torn or blown off in a storm are storm damage, and many homeowners policies treat sudden wind damage differently from wear and tear. Whether a policy pays depends on the policy, its deductible (some Arkansas policies carry a separate wind or hail deductible), and the age and condition of the roof. Our posts on wind vs hail roof damage and whether insurance covers roof replacement explain how insurers look at it. The deductible is always the homeowner's responsibility.

If the shingles lifted in a storm, the inspection is free: we do not charge for hail, wind and storm damage inspections, and you get our 21-Point Roof Inspection Report with photos. If we find storm damage, we work with your insurance company and meet the adjuster. This is general information, not insurance advice; coverage and deadlines vary by policy and carrier, so confirm with your agent.

Frequently asked questions

Is a lifted shingle an emergency?

Usually not, if it is not creased and no water is coming in. But it is the shingle most likely to blow off next, so book a repair before the next round of storms. If water is coming in, call right away; our phones are answered live 24/7 and we do emergency tarping.

Can I glue a lifted shingle down myself?

We do not recommend climbing a roof. Too much cement can also make shingles blister, and gluing down a creased shingle leaves the crack in place. A roofer can tell an unsealed shingle from a damaged one and fix the nails that may have caused it.

Why are shingles lifting on my new roof?

Most often the sealant has not had enough sun and heat to bond yet, which can take a while on a roof installed in cold weather or on a shaded slope. It can also mean the nails are in the wrong place. If shingles on a newer roof are flapping, call the roofer who installed it.

Is the repair guaranteed?

Yes. If a repair fails, we fix it again at no charge, and once all recommended repairs are done, your roof is covered by the 365-Day Patriot Leak Free Guarantee: if it leaks in the next 365 days, we make the repair at no charge.

Shingles flapping in the wind?

Get them sealed before they end up in the yard. Contact us to book a repair visit or a free storm inspection, and we will get your roof repair done right the first time.