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The 1983 Hurricane Alicia, Flying Gravel Missiles, and the Dawn of Modern Building Envelope Codes 1983 downtown Houston street scene after Alicia with glass debris. When Texans discuss extreme weather, our minds often picture tornadoes churning across the High Plains or sudden flash floods overwhelming Central Texas river basins. But along the upper Texas Gulf Coast, severe weather takes on a massive, oceanic scale: sprawling tropical cyclones packed with torrential storm sur

The 1970 Lubbock Tornado, the Fujita Scale, and the Birth of Wind Science When Texans discuss severe weather, coastal hurricanes and sudden flash floods often dominate the conversation. But across the high plains of West Texas, severe spring thunderstorms produce another formidable threat: violent, record-breaking tornadoes with extreme wind speeds capable of shredding building envelopes in a matter of seconds. Seventeen years after the 1953 Waco Tornado forced structural eng

The 1953 Waco Tornado and the Birth of Modern Wind Engineering A tornado moves towards the downtown district. When Texans discuss severe weather, hurricanes often dominate coastal conversations, while interior Texas braces for a different kind of monster: violent, rapid-onset tornadoes. Today, when a severe thunderstorm threatens the Lone Star State, sirens wail, smartphones vibrate with instant alerts, and Doppler radar tracks rotating wall clouds in real time. But in the mi

The 1921 San Antonio Flood and the Evolution of Roof Drainage Central Texas street during the 1921 torrential rainstorm When Texans think of severe weather, high-wind hurricanes and violent tornadoes usually steal the headlines. But in the Lone Star State, one of the quietest and deadliest threats comes not from high winds, but from water—specifically, the overwhelming volume of rain that can fall in a remarkably short time. Central Texas is known to meteorologists as "Flash

The Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900 When Texans think of destructive weather, they often picture baseball-sized hail, powerful tornadoes, or the devastation left behind by Hurricane Harvey. But more than a century before Harvey flooded Houston and long before modern weather satellites tracked storms across the Gulf of Mexico, one hurricane forever changed the way Texans build homes, design roofs, and insure property. On September 8, 1900, the Great Galveston Hurricane sla

Take a drive through almost any neighborhood in Texas and you'll notice something interesting. Despite our long, hot summers, many homes and commercial buildings have dark gray, charcoal, brown, or even black roofs. If darker colors absorb more heat, why would anyone choose them? The answer is simple: people like the way they look. Dark roofs complement brick, stone, stucco, and modern architectural styles. They can make a home or commercial building appear more upscale,

Why Winter Weather Can Be Just as Destructive as Hail in North Texas When North Texans think about roof damage, one word dominates the conversation. Let's all say it together: "Hail." And for good reason! Hailstorms can shred shingles in minutes, dent flashing, and leave visible scars across entire neighborhoods. But there’s another kind of damage that doesn’t always announce itself with noise and drama. It doesn’t arrive with thunder and sirens. Instead, it sneaks in qui

Your roof holds prophetic powers. This morning, when you were sipping your hot beverage and mulling over which new blog you were going to follow to fill up all the free space in your day, you no doubt had a roofing blog in your top five. I mean, who doesn't relish a deep dive into the complexities of an underlayment? And since you're already sold on the roofing blog idea, we knew we had to do something to help our new roofing blog, Up on the Roof, stand out from all the othe