Why early season checks matter
A shingle that is already lifted from a winter storm or simple age does not need much wind to peel back further and let water in. The point of checking a roof in late spring is to find those weak spots before a tropical system arrives, when there is still time to fix a small problem instead of dealing with an active leak during a storm.
Gutters get the same attention. A gutter packed with pine needles or leaves from the previous fall cannot move the volume of water a tropical downpour brings, and an overflowing gutter during a storm often causes more visible damage than the wind itself.
What an early season check covers
The roof gets walked for lifted or missing shingles, exposed nail heads and any flashing that looks loose at a chimney or sidewall. The attic gets checked for daylight, staining or a musty smell that would suggest a slow leak has already started somewhere unnoticed.
Trees overhanging the roof get a look too. A branch that scrapes the shingle in a light breeze will do real damage in sustained hurricane force wind, and trimming it back in June is a much smaller job than dealing with storm damage in September.
In the days before a storm
Once a storm is tracking toward the coast, gutters and downspouts get a final clear so they can move water freely. Loose items in the yard that could become airborne debris get secured or brought inside, since a piece of patio furniture or a trash can lid is a common cause of impact damage to a neighboring roof.
If a known weak spot on the roof has not been repaired yet, this is the point to have it looked at rather than hoping it holds. A small repair completed before the storm is far cheaper than the same spot failing during sustained wind and rain.
After the storm passes
Once wind speeds drop to a safe level, a walk around the outside of the house from the ground can spot obvious damage: missing shingles on the ground, a section of gutter hanging loose, or debris caught against the roof edge. Getting on the roof itself is best left to someone experienced, since storm conditions can leave a wet, unstable surface even after the rain has stopped.
A full inspection after any named storm is worth scheduling even if nothing looks wrong from the ground, since some of the more serious wind damage, like a creased shingle that has not yet failed, is not visible from the yard.