The average humidity in Buffalo NY is 72.4 percent a month. That’s more than enough to drain the energy right out of the human body. Rooftops have a similar vulnerability; a tremendous amount of moisture can easily minimize its endurance.

The surface can rapidly wear down and crumble into dust. This is extremely difficult to prevent because the roof is way up there within arm’s length of the air, so to speak. Even if the home exterior is surrounded on all sides by large trees, it could still be at just as much risk; extreme temperature, one way or the other, can lead to a big buildup of moss or algae.

The more a rooftop is cold and damp, the more moss that can develop on it. These flowerless little green plants hold moisture against the surface like a wrestler pinning his opponent to the mat, allowing for quick ice growth and destroyed rock layering. If things like leaves or debris get caught in the ridges along with the moisture, moss can grow even faster.

Able to double in size within a few short hours, algae typically retrieve their nourishment from large amounts of natural elements such as sun and carbon dioxide, much like the flowers and plant life we often see around us.

Algae can be a “guerilla warrior” compared to moss, because a variety of miscellaneous factors can send it in from a lake or pond miles away; birds can carry it in, wind can blow it on, etc. It usually hits the roof in small spots. If left there too long, they can spread into long lines and eventually discolor the surface, continuously eating mineral filler out of the roof until it can’t withstand even the slightest heat.