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Metal roofing in McLean, VA: what the storm record and the wind tables say
A metal roof in McLean faces the same weather as every other roof in northern Fairfax County, and the official record of that weather is more specific than most owners expect. This page counts the NOAA storm rows that name McLean, separates them from the Great Falls, Langley and Tysons labels, then sets them beside the county's design wind and snow values and the wind tests the Virginia code names for metal shingles.
- 14 thunderstorm wind rows name McLean, 2016 to mid 2026
- 0 hail rows name McLean; Great Falls has 2
- 115 mph ultimate design wind speed on the county table
The storm record, by place label
The National Centers for Environmental Information publish every Storm Events row as a bulk file. We downloaded the 2016 through 2026 files (the newest is dated September 18, 2026, and runs through June 2026), kept the Virginia rows for Fairfax County, and counted them by hand and by script. Wind magnitudes in the file are in knots, and every wind row below is an estimated gust, so the table converts at 1.15 miles per hour per knot.
| Place label or narrative | Wind rows | Hail rows | Strongest gust | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McLean in the narrative, or label MC LEAN HAMLET | 14 | 0 | 60 kt, 69 mph | Rows are filed under Chesterbrook, Lewinsville, Swinks Mill, Kenmore and Peacock labels |
| Great Falls label | 20 | 2 | 65 kt, 75 mph | Separate place; hail of 1.00 and 1.75 inches on June 2, 2019 |
| Langley label | 11 | 1 | 61 kt, 70 mph | Mostly the George Washington Parkway corridor |
| Tysons Corner label | 1 | 0 | 52 kt, 60 mph | Also one EF0 tornado on March 31, 2022 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events bulk files, Fairfax County rows, 2016 to June 2026, counted October 19, 2026. A report appears only if someone phoned or posted it, so the table is a floor, not a census.
- 2019 and 2020: six rowsGusts of 50 to 55 knots, including a large tree across the Dulles Toll Road lanes on July 21, 2019.
- August 10, 2021: the strongest McLean rowNumerous trees, branches and wires down across Pimmit Hills, Idylwood and McLean, from a 60 knot estimate.
- 2023: four rowsGusts of 50 to 56 knots in April, July and August, with a tree down near Old Chesterbrook Road and a blocked section of Dominion Drive.
- June 19, 2025: the latest rowAbout a dozen trees along Great Falls Street between McLean and Falls Church, one onto a house.
No row in the McLean set names a roof covering failing. They describe trees and wires. That matters for a metal roof because the likeliest recorded hazard is a falling limb, which is a clearance and impact question, while the wind rows speak to uplift only indirectly. The McLean roofing guide covers permits and overlays; this page keeps to weather.
Design values: what the county table says
What the weather rows record
Estimated gusts of 50 to 60 knots in the McLean set, which is roughly 58 to 69 mph. They are reports of what someone saw, tied to trees and wires.
What the code designs for
Fairfax County lists 115 mph ultimate wind speed for Risk Category II and residential buildings. The code converts it to 89 mph nominal. These are statistical design values for a rare event, a different quantity from a reported gust.
The two columns should not be subtracted from each other. The point is to see which number a given document uses. The Virginia permit rule at 13VAC5-63-80 exempts unlimited roof covering replacement in groups R-3, R-4 and R-5 unless the nominal design wind speed is over 100 mph, and in the same item exempts 100 square feet or less in all groups. The residential code's conversion table gives 89 mph for 115 mph ultimate and 101 mph for 130. Whether and how the county applies that comparison to a McLean parcel is a question for Land Development Services, which the hub lists at 703-222-0801.
Fairfax County's page also states the 115 mph value applies to Risk Category II and residential, 105 mph to Category I and 120 mph to Category III. A house is normally the residential case. A larger apartment or commercial building can sit in a different category, so a building manager should ask the engineer of record rather than assume.
Wind tests the code names for metal
Metal roof shingles
Section R905.4.4.1 of the 2021 Virginia Residential Code (read on UpCodes, a third-party copy) requires testing to ASTM D3161, FM 4474, UL 580 or UL 1897 on a solid or closely fitted deck. A shingle tested to ASTM D3161 must have a package label that shows the class.
The class table
At 110, 116 and 129 mph ultimate speed the table accepts class A, D or F. From 142 mph upward it accepts class F only. Fairfax County's 115 mph value sits between the first two rows of that table, not at a listed speed, so ask the supplier which row they used.
Metal roof panels
Section R905.10 requires panels to be fastened as the chapter and the manufacturer instruct, and says metal-sheet systems with structural members must be designed under the International Building Code. It does not print a class table for panels.
Flashings and edges
The Metal Construction Association lists a test method for wind load resistance of metal roof flashings at the perimeter and at plan transitions. The NWS survey of the March 31, 2022 Tysons tornado records metal paneling at the roof top of a service station damaged and tossed, which shows why edges draw attention. Tysons is a separate label and a different building type.
"Properly designed, metal roofing may provide significant benefits in a fortified design."
Metal Construction Association, FORTIFIED Home Program page, read October 19, 2026The FORTIFIED program belongs to the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, which renamed its entry level FORTIFIED Roof and limited its scope to work roofers routinely do. The MCA page states a position; it does not say that any McLean roof qualifies. See the general metal roofing page for profiles and slopes.
Hail, impact and what is not published
The county shows 40 hail rows between 2016 and June 2026, the largest at 1.75 inches (three rows). None of the 40 name McLean. The two Great Falls rows and the one Langley row all fall on June 2, 2019.
Impact resistance is where the public paperwork is thinnest. The code section for metal panels does not set an impact test, and the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety page for its low-slope metal hail study says the report is for members and prints no result. So a McLean owner who wants an impact rating has to ask the supplier for the actual test report, with the standard, the class and the product tested.
Snow and ice on a metal roof
The county table lists a ground snow load of 25 pounds per square foot, with the caution that it holds only when a design team uses the 2021 code's figures together with ASCE 7-16, because Virginia is correcting the 2021 code. That is a figure for structural design. The storm files show winter weather by zone, not by town: Fairfax County's zone has 41 Winter Weather rows, 8 Winter Storm, 1 Blizzard and 1 Ice Storm from 2016 to June 2026.
Smooth metal can release a snow layer in one piece, so ask a roofer how the plan handles the ground below eaves, entries and walkways, and whether the written scope names snow retention. The code text we read does not set that detail for houses, and the ice barrier rule leaves its locality entry blank on the third-party copy we read. Ask Land Development Services what the county entered. For flat sections, the flat roof page covers drainage.
What to ask about exposure
- Which trees overhang the roof? The McLean rows are mostly tree rows. Note limbs near eaves and ridges and tell the roofer.
- Which wind test, and which class? For metal shingles, ask for the ASTM D3161 or other listed test label named in R905.4.4.1.
- How are edges and flashings held? Ask for the edge detail and any wind test the manufacturer cites for it.
- Is there an impact report? Ask for the standard and the class, not a brochure line.
- What does the scope say about snow release and underlayment? Have both named in writing.
Have the deck and slope written into the scope, the permit owner named, the county asked about your address, and any association or overlay review settled first. The McLean guide lists where to look.
Roofers of Arlington installs, repairs and replaces roofs, including flat and metal systems. Book a phone consultation to talk through a McLean metal roof. See the materials, services and roof replacement pages for the wider picture.
Links and dates for each source
Everything below was opened on October 19, 2026.
- NOAA NCEI Storm Events bulk CSV files and the Storm Data format guide
- Fairfax County Codes and Standards, local design load criteria
- 13VAC5-63-80, Virginia Administrative Code
- 2021 Virginia Residential Code chapter 9 and chapter 3 (third-party copy of the code)
- Metal Construction Association, FORTIFIED Home Program page
- IBHS, hail impact performance of low-slope metal roofing and FORTIFIED Roof
Questions people ask
How many severe thunderstorm wind reports name McLean?
In the NOAA Storm Events files for Fairfax County from 2016 through June 2026, 14 thunderstorm wind rows have McLean in the narrative or carry the "MC LEAN HAMLET" label. They fall on 14 different days between 2019 and 2025. The strongest estimated gust was 60 knots, about 69 mph, on August 10, 2021. The rows describe trees, branches and wires, not failed roof coverings.
Does the McLean record include hail?
No row labeled McLean or naming McLean in its narrative is a hail row. The nearest labels with hail are Great Falls, with two rows on June 2, 2019 at 1.00 and 1.75 inches, and Langley, with one row of 1.00 inch on that date. Treat those as separate places, not as McLean data.
Why does NOAA list so few rows under the McLean label?
The Storm Events database files each report under a nearby place label chosen by the weather service. The "MC LEAN HAMLET" label has three rows, one of them wind. Most McLean-area reports sit under Chesterbrook, Lewinsville, Swinks Mill, Kenmore and similar labels, which is why this page also reads the narratives.
What design wind speed does Fairfax County publish for a house?
The county's Local Design Load Criteria table lists an ultimate wind speed of 115 mph for Risk Category II and residential buildings. The Virginia Residential Code converts that to a nominal speed of 89 mph in its Table R301.2.1.3. The state permit exemption for roof covering uses a nominal speed of 100 mph, so ask the county how it applies the comparison to your address.
What wind test applies to metal shingles in the Virginia code?
Section R905.4.4.1 says metal roof shingles on a solid or closely fitted deck must be tested to ASTM D3161, FM 4474, UL 580 or UL 1897. For ASTM D3161 the package must carry a label with the class, and the table sets class A, D or F at the lower speeds and class F alone from 142 mph ultimate speed upward.
Does the code give an impact rating for metal panels?
The metal roof panel section, R905.10, sets slope, material standards, fasteners and underlayment. It does not set an impact test. The Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety lists a low-slope metal hail study, but its public page says the report is for members and shows no ratings, so ask any supplier for the test report by name.
What snow load does the county use?
The county table lists a ground snow load of 25 psf and adds a note that the figure holds only when designers use the 2021 code's snow figures with ASCE 7-16, while the state corrects the code. That is a design value for engineers, not a promise about any one roof. Ask your engineer or the county which figure governs your project.
What can I ask on a Roofers of Arlington phone consultation?
Book a phone consultation and bring the street address, the building type, the roof slope if you know it, and what you can see from the ground, such as lifted edges, loose flashing or tree limbs near the roof. We will go through the exposure questions on this page with you before you collect a written scope.
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.