A siding year on the eastern shore
Daphne's winters are mild and its summers are long, hot and wet, with hurricane season on top. That makes the cooler months the time for siding repairs and the warm months the time to watch for moisture and storm damage. The weather figures below come from NOAA's engineering weather station at Mobile, across the bay, the closest station to Daphne.
Winter: December to February
The Mobile station's 99% winter design temperature is 30°F, and it records about 16 freeze-thaw cycles in an average year. Cold snaps are short.
- This is a good time to schedule repairs, painting and replacement, when the air is drier and contractors are less busy than after a storm.
- Replace cracked or loose pieces found during the year.
- Repaint wood and fiber cement on mild, dry days within the paint's temperature range.
Spring: March to May
- Walk around the house and photograph every wall. These photos are your before-storm record.
- Re-caulk around windows, doors, vents and trim.
- Check soffits and fascia for loose panels, and the starter strip at the bottom of the wall.
- Wash off pollen and dirt with a soft brush and a garden hose rather than a pressure washer.
- Trim trees and shrubs back from the house.
Summer: June to August
Mobile's 1% summer design temperature is 92°F, with a mean coincident wet-bulb temperature of 76°F, and NOAA counts about 1,957 hours a year with the wet-bulb above 73°F.
- Look for mildew on shaded walls and clean it with a cleaner suited to the siding.
- Check painted siding for blistering, which often means moisture is coming from behind.
- Keep sprinklers from spraying the walls.
- After heavy rain, look inside closets and around windows on exterior walls for stains or a musty smell.
Hurricane season: June to November
On September 16, 2020, Hurricane Sally made landfall at Gulf Shores as a category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 95 knots, and the National Hurricane Center reported damage to trees, power lines and buildings across Mobile and Baldwin Counties. NOAA lists a 50-year basic wind speed of 130 mph and a 100-year rainfall rate of 4.6 inches per hour at Mobile.
- Before a storm, bring in or tie down anything that could hit the walls, and fasten any loose siding or trim.
- After a storm, photograph all damage before cleanup.
- Cover openings in the wall quickly to keep rain out, and keep your receipts.
- If your claim stalls, contact your insurance company or agent first. If that fails, the Alabama Department of Insurance sends a complaint to the company, which must respond to it. Its phone number is 334-241-4141.
Fall: September to November
- Once storm season eases, finish repairs and painting.
- Clean gutters and check that downspouts carry water away from the walls.
- Seal gaps where pipes and cables enter the house.
Keep a record
Keep each season's photos, product names, colors, receipts and any insurance papers together. After a storm, a clear before-and-after record makes the claim and the repair go faster.