19 wind entries
Trees, limbs and wires, with two houses named.
Before you call about a PVC roof in Chevy Chase: six checks, and what the storm record leaves out
The federal storm database has entries for Chevy Chase going back to 2006. They tell you about fallen trees, wires, flooded streets and two hail reports. They do not tell you what any roof was made of. Use the list below to arrive at the call with better questions than "was it the storm?"
The list
Six things to have in hand before you ask about PVC
Print it, tick it, bring it to the call.
- The date and the kind of weatherWind, hail and flooding are separate entries in the record. Write down which one you mean, because they raise different questions about a roof.
- Photos of the edge, the drains and anything a branch touchedTake them from the ground or a window. Do not climb up to take them.
- The standard on the data sheetThe building code lists PVC, or PVC/KEE, under ASTM D4434 among single-ply sheets. A white or grey membrane could be a different single-ply, so ask for the number on paper.
- How the seams are joinedPVC is a thermoplastic, and its seams are welded with hot air. Ask who checks the welds and how.
- The roof's own paperworkFind any earlier roof report, leak log or repair note. If a board or manager owns the roof, ask them for it.
- Which office signs offChevy Chase is about nine governments. Our Chevy Chase page maps them, so we do not repeat that table here.
The record
NOAA's storm entries for this area describe trees, wires and water
Several trees and large branches were blown down in the Chevy Chase and Bethesda area. MD-191 Bradley Avenue was closed due to fallen trees between MD-355 Wisconsin Avenue and MD-185 Connecticut Avenue. A tree blew onto a house and wires were torn down in the 7000 block of Meadow Lane.NOAA Storm Events Database, event 958238, July 1, 2021. Read from the bulk file October 15, 2026.
9 flood entries
Roads, cars, rescues and basements.
2 hail entries
A size each, no damage stated.
We read the National Centers for Environmental Information bulk files for Montgomery County, Maryland, and kept the entries whose location label is Chevy Chase, Friendship Heights or Somerset. That gave 30: 19 thunderstorm wind, 6 flash flood, 3 flood and 2 hail. The word "roof" appears in none of them, and no roofing material is named.
Two entries name a house. On August 20, 2019, "a tree was blown down onto a house in the 4800 block of Western Avenue." On July 1, 2021, "a tree blew onto a house and wires were torn down in the 7000 block of Meadow Lane." Neither says what the house was roofed with, or whether the roof was hurt.
The two hail entries are both labelled Friendship Heights: quarter-size hail on May 14, 2010, and ping-pong-ball-size hail on April 21, 2017. Neither states damage. The largest flood entry, from June 25, 2006, describes rescues, closed roads and flooded basements, including knee-deep water around Chevy Chase Village off Wisconsin Avenue. A flooded basement is a ground-level event, and it says nothing about a roof.
So match your date to an entry if one exists, and accept that there may be none, because the record holds only reports that reached the Weather Service. Then ask the roofer what was inspected, what was found and which standard the current membrane meets, in writing. For how single-ply sheets differ, read the flat roof and roofing materials pages. The same city has a TPO page on flat-roof height.
A label near you is not your roof. NOAA tags each entry with the nearest community name, not a boundary. Entries labelled Friendship Heights include reports on East-West Highway and at Bethesda and Arlington Avenues. Treat an entry as a clue about the weather that day, never as a finding about a particular building.
Questions
Storm and PVC questions from Chevy Chase owners
Does the storm database say PVC roofs fail or hold up in Chevy Chase?
No. None of the 30 narratives names a roofing material, so it cannot speak for or against PVC.
Did hail hit Friendship Heights?
Two reports exist, in 2010 and 2017, from a member of the public and a trained spotter. Both give a size and neither records damage.
What did the 2006 flood entry say about Chevy Chase?
It records rescues, closed roads and flooded basements, with knee-deep water near the Village. It names no roofs.
Is a NOAA location label the same as a town line?
No. It is the nearest named community to the report, so a label tells you the area, not which municipality's code applies.
Does the record list every storm that touched a building?
No. It holds reports that reached the Weather Service. Our reading is that many small events never appear, so absence proves little.
How do I tell whether a white roof is PVC?
You cannot do it from colour. Ask for the data sheet and look for the ASTM number the code lists for PVC, then ask the roofer to confirm it.
Who decides which membrane goes on a condominium roof?
Usually the owner, which may be the board. Ask for the association's documents and its roof record before comparing materials.
Nearby PVC pages: PVC roofs in Bethesda and PVC roofs in Kensington. For the permit map, see roofers in Chevy Chase.
Sources used
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, bulk detail files 2000 to 2026 (latest file released September 2026), downloaded and read October 15, 2026. The online record pages did not display for us, so we read the file rows. The material statements come from the 2021 International Building Code single-ply table and a National Roofing Contractors Association library abstract on thermoplastic welding.
Talk through the next step
Bring the storm date and the roof's paperwork
Tell us what happened, when, and what is on the roof now. We will go through the checklist with you by phone before anything is ordered.
Book a free 15-minute phone consultation
(703) 712-1506
9220 Topaz St, Fairfax, VA 22031
Mon to Fri 7 AM to 8:30 PM, Sat 7 AM to 8 PM, closed Sunday