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EPDM roofing in Reston, VA: what the storm record says about trees, debris and drains on a low-slope roof
NOAA lists 18 Reston-labelled storm rows for Fairfax County between 2016 and mid-2026, and every wind row mentions fallen trees. This page counts those rows, adds the county canopy report, and then turns to what a rubber membrane roof needs from its drains and its owner when leaves, limbs and heavy rain arrive.
- 8 Reston wind rows, all with trees down
- 10 Reston flood rows, none naming roof drains
- Drains open and debris removed after a major storm
The storm rows, counted
NOAA publishes one file of storm event details per year. For this page the Fairfax County rows for 2016 through the 2026 file were pulled into one table of 792 rows, and the rows whose place label is Reston were counted with a simple filter. The place label is the spot NOAA gave for the start of the event, so a storm that crossed Reston from a neighboring label is not in the first count.
- By year
- The label appears in 2018 (2 rows), 2019 (5), 2020 (1), 2021 (1), 2022 (3), 2023 (1) and 2025 (5). It is absent in 2016, 2017, 2024 and the 2026 rows through June.
- A wider net
- In all, 21 county rows name Reston inside the narrative text, whatever their label (4 of them are among the eighteen), and 18 of the 21 use the word tree, limb or branch.
- The limit
- The data is a record of reports, not a survey of every roof. Nothing in it says what any roof was made of.
The eight wind rows
The 19 April 2019 tornado is filed under the label Sunset Hills, so it is not one of the eighteen. NOAA rates it EF0, about four miles through Reston, with damage mostly to uprooted or topped trees. The narrative adds that shingles came off several townhouses near Town Center Drive and that a tree went through the upper floor of a townhouse on Quietree Drive.
| Date | Gust (knots) | What the narrative reports |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Mar 2019 | 50 | Two trees down in the 1000 block of Route 674. |
| 6 Jul 2019 | 50 | Six trees down along VA-7 near Reston. |
| 22 Jul 2020 | 55 | Numerous trees down between Reston and Great Falls, at four named intersections. |
| 28 Jul 2021 | 50 | Trees down at Riva Ridge Drive, Kettle Pond Lane and, onto a driveway, Tommye Lane. |
| 13 Jun 2022 | 50 | A few trees and wires down in the Reston and Herndon area. |
| 29 Jul 2023 | 52 | Trees down between Reston and Great Falls, including Shesue Street and Minburn Street. |
| 19 Jun 2025 | 62 | A gust of 62 knots (71 MPH) from a personal weather station; dozens of trees down, many onto wires, a few onto houses. |
| 12 Jul 2025 | 52 | A tree down into the roadway on Kettle Pond Lane. |
Source: NOAA Storm Events details files, Virginia, Fairfax county zone, opened 2026-10-20. Gust units are as NOAA prints them.
What the county canopy report covers and leaves out
The county canopy report uses 2015 imagery and says canopy covered 57 percent of the county, 144,768 acres. Between its two study dates 8,630 acres of canopy were gained and 8,336 were lost. It sorts buildings and roads into a Not Suitable class, meaning places where new canopy is highly unlikely.
The report gives figures by watershed and by supervisory district. It names Difficult Run as the watershed with the most canopy by area and with gain above one percent, and Hunter Mill as a district that gained 1.48 percent. The text prints no Reston-only percentage, and this page prints none either.
A NOAA Reston row from August 2022 says VA-7 was closed over Difficult Run because of high water. The canopy report and the storm row meet at the same stream, but neither says anything about a roof.
The county Urban and Community Forestry page says the division is the primary county agency responsible for adding canopy and that it tracks canopy with GIS imagery. Together the sources show that a tree-rich county is also a county where trees come down in storms. For a roof owner the useful reading is practical: leaves, twigs and now and then a limb will reach a low-slope roof, and the drains are where they end up.
Leaves, limbs and drains on a low-slope roof
An EPDM roof is a rubber sheet over a roof that is flat or nearly flat, so water has a short, slow trip to a drain, scupper or gutter. Anything that blocks that trip lets water stay. The neutral sources opened for this page speak to that in three ways.
"Remove debris and ensure that all drains are open."
Single Ply Roofing Institute, Frequently Asked QuestionsDebris and open drains
The Single Ply Roofing Institute says to remove debris and make sure all drains are open, and to inspect low-slope roofs at least twice per year and after any major storm.
Drains in the low spots
The EPDM Roofing Association says drains should sit in low areas to eliminate ponded areas, with crickets, saddles or tapered insulation added where more fall is needed.
A path for overflow
The Virginia Construction Code calls for secondary overflow drains or scuppers where the perimeter would trap water if the primary drains backed up.
What the sources do not say matters too. None of them describes leaf litter staining, or limbs scraping a membrane, so this page does not claim a wear rate. The EPDM Roofing Association does give a reason to avoid standing water: it adds expense when the water has to be removed for repairs, and it adds moisture infiltration and damage if the membrane is punctured. Its FAQ describes repairing aged EPDM by brooming and washing off field dirt, then priming and applying a laminated patch, and its repair page says to consult a qualified roof consultant or architect before restoration techniques.
After a storm: a drain walk
- Look from a safe place first. From a window or stair, check whether water still stands on the roof some time after the rain has stopped. Standing water points to a drain, a low spot or both.
- Find every drain and scupper. The SPRI wording is that all drains are open. That includes the overflow scuppers the code describes, which sit higher than the primary drains.
- Clear the leaves and twigs. The sources name debris removal as the owner task. A downed limb on a roof is a different matter: it is a reason to call a roofer before anyone climbs.
- Check edges and flashings. SPRI says to look at perimeters for loose metal or fasteners and at flashings around penetrations, tight and undamaged.
- Write down what changed. SPRI asks for changes from the past inspection to be noted, which gives a roofer a trail to read.
What an owner can record
Where water stood, which drains held leaves, whether an overflow scupper was clear, the date, and any photographs from a safe vantage. These notes turn a phone call into a useful one.
Questions for a written scope
- Does the scope show the design slope, and does it meet the one quarter in 12 figure the code gives for single-ply roofs?
- Are the drains in the low areas, and does the scope name crickets, saddles or tapered insulation where water would otherwise stand?
- Where are the secondary drains or scuppers, and how high do they sit above the primary drains?
- Which trees overhang the roof or its edges, and who may trim them: the owner, the association or a neighbor?
- For a townhouse or condominium, does the recorded document say who owns the roof and who pays for cleaning the drains?
- Who inspects the roof twice per year and after a major storm, and where are the notes kept?
Roofers of Arlington installs, repairs and replaces roofs, including flat and metal systems. To talk through a Reston EPDM roof, book a phone consultation. For the material itself, see the EPDM roofing page; also roofing materials, flat roofs, roof repair, commercial roofing and all services. The county permit table and owner-type paths are on the Reston roofing guide, and nearby areas are listed on service areas. Return to the Reston hub for the permit route.
Files and pages opened, with dates
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events details files for Virginia, 2016 through 2026, opened 2026-10-20: ncei.noaa.gov
- Fairfax County, Tree Canopy Report 2015, opened 2026-10-20: fairfaxcounty.gov
- Fairfax County, Urban and Community Forestry page, opened 2026-10-20: fairfaxcounty.gov
- EPDM Roofing Association, Frequently Asked Questions, opened 2026-10-20: epdmroofs.org
- EPDM Roofing Association, Repair and Restoration, opened 2026-10-20: epdmroofs.org
- Single Ply Roofing Institute, Frequently Asked Questions, opened 2026-10-20: spri.org
- Virginia Construction Code 2021, Chapter 15, as published by UpCodes, opened 2026-10-20: up.codes
- Not opened: an ARMA ponding bulletin (the pages tried returned not found) and an NRCA ponding document.
Questions people ask
How many NOAA storm rows are labelled Reston?
In the Fairfax County files for 2016 through mid-2026, 18 rows carry the place label Reston: 8 thunderstorm wind, 7 flash flood and 3 flood. Rows exist for 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2025. No row carries the label in 2016, 2017, 2024 or 2026.
Do the Reston wind rows mention trees?
Yes. All 8 narratives mention trees blown down. The strongest gust recorded in them was 62 knots, about 71 MPH, in June 2025, with dozens of trees down and a few onto houses.
Do the Reston flood rows say anything about roof drains?
No. The 10 flood narratives describe closed roads and streams over roadways, such as Springvale Road, Walker Road and VA-7. They do not mention roofs, so the record cannot be used to say how any roof drain performed.
Does any opened source say how branches or leaves wear on EPDM?
None of the sources opened for this page does. The Single Ply Roofing Institute says to remove debris and keep drains open, and the EPDM Roofing Association says to position drains in low areas and avoid ponding. Branch abrasion is not described by either.
How often should a low-slope single-ply roof be looked at?
The Single Ply Roofing Institute says at least twice per year and after any major storm, checking perimeters and flashings, removing debris and making sure drains are open. It points owners to the installer or a Registered Roof Consultant when questions arise.
What does the Virginia code say about overflow drains?
The 2021 Virginia Construction Code, section 1502.2, calls for secondary overflow drains or scuppers where the roof perimeter would entrap water if the primary drains backed up. Section 1502.3 sizes scuppers so ponding depth stays within what the roof was designed for.
Does a single-ply roof need a minimum slope for drainage?
Section 1507.12.1 of the 2021 Virginia Construction Code says single-ply membrane roofs shall have a design slope of not less than one quarter unit vertical in 12 horizontal, a 2 percent slope, for drainage.
Can a Reston tree canopy figure be given for one street?
Not from the document opened. The Fairfax County canopy report states countywide, watershed and supervisory district figures. It gives no Reston-only percentage in its text, so this page does not print one.
Talk through your roof with Roofers of Arlington
Share the address, what you are seeing on the roof and the decision you need to make. We will tell you what to expect before anything is scheduled.