Seasonal

Storm-Season Gutter Checklist for Tulsa Homes

By Gutter Repair Tulsa · September 6, 2026 · 7 min read

Mid-September in Tulsa is the quiet stretch. The May hail is four months behind you, the fall storms have not started, and the pecans are still green. That makes it the best week of the year to walk around the house and look at the gutters, because the next three things the weather does here are all hard on them.

What is coming

Oklahoma has a second severe-weather season. It is smaller than spring, but October and November bring cold fronts across the plains that produce straight-line wind and the occasional hail in Tulsa County, and they arrive when the gutters are starting to fill with leaves. After that comes ice. The October 2020 ice storm hit while the trees still had their leaves, and the weight of ice on leafy pecan limbs brought them down on roofs and gutters across midtown. A gutter that goes into fall loose or full does not come out of winter.

The ten-minute walk-around

Do this from the ground with your phone. You are looking for anything that has changed since spring.

1. Sight down each run. Stand at the corner and look along the gutter. It should be straight or fall very slightly toward the downspout. A dip in the middle means hangers have let go; that run holds water and will hold ice.
2. Look for a gap at the top. A dark line between the gutter and the fascia means the gutter has pulled away. Wind gets under that gap and peels the run back.
3. Check every downspout strap. There should be one every 8 feet and one near the bottom. A downspout with a missing strap rattles in wind and eventually separates at the elbow.
4. Look at the bottom of each downspout. Extension in place, pointing away from the house, not crushed by the mower. If it is missing, the next storm puts 250 gallons against the foundation.
5. Look under the corners. Peeling paint, a dark stain or a drip line on the fascia under a corner means it has been leaking all summer.
6. Check the roof edge. Shingles should extend over the back of the gutter. If you can see daylight between the shingle edge and the gutter, water runs behind it.
7. Look for dents. If May's hail beat in the front lip and it has not been dealt with, it is holding water and debris. Photograph it and ask your agent whether it can still go on the claim before the claim closes.
8. Note the trees. Any pecan or oak limb over the roofline that is dead, split, or already touching the gutter is what comes down in the ice. This is a tree company call, but note it now.
9. Flush one downspout with a hose if you can reach it safely. Water should come out the bottom as fast as it goes in the top.
10. Photograph everything. Dated photos from September are what you want in your hand when a storm does damage in November and the adjuster asks what condition the gutters were in before.

What to fix now

None of these is expensive in September. All of them are more expensive after a limb has finished the job.

Wind

The straight-line wind that comes with a fall front is what takes gutters off Tulsa houses more often than hail does. It needs a loose gutter to start on: a gap at the fascia, a run hung on spikes that have backed out, a downspout with no strap. A gutter that is tight to the fascia on screw hangers every 24 inches shrugs off 60 mph. A gutter with a two-inch gap at one end becomes a sail. The re-hang is the fix, and it is on the gutter repair page.

Leaves before ice

The other September job is planning for the leaves. Pecans start dropping in late October and finish in early December; oaks go into winter still holding half their leaves. The first ice can arrive in late November, as it did in 2020, before either is done. So the fall cleaning needs to happen, and it may need to happen twice. Fall leaf season in Tulsa has the timing by tree. If you are under heavy pecans and tired of the schedule, September is also when to look at gutter guards, because they go on cleanest gutters and they are what stops a leaf-and-ice block forming in the first place.

The spring version of this checklist

Run the same gutter storm checklist again in late March, before hail season. The emphasis shifts: in fall you are looking for anything the ice will exploit, and in spring you are looking for anything a downpour will overwhelm. Add three checks to the list above:

• Downspout flow. Flush each one from the top. Oak catkins and the last of the winter leaves often sit at the first elbow.
• Extensions. Winter mowing, kids and dogs move them. Put every one back, pointing away from the house.
• Ice damage you missed. A corner that opened in January, or a run that dropped half an inch, is easier to see on a dry spring day than in the middle of winter.

What to have ready before storm season

• Your policy number and your agent's phone number saved in your phone
• The dated photos from this walk-around, kept somewhere you can find them
• The number of a local contractor, so you are not choosing from whoever knocks on the door the morning after a storm
• A note of the age of the roof and the gutters, if you know it

After a storm: the five-minute version

1. Stay clear of anything hanging and any downed lines.
2. Walk the house from the ground and photograph every side, close up and wide.
3. Look at the downspouts on the side the storm came from.
4. Check that water is still draining away from the foundation.
5. Call your agent before anyone repairs or hauls away anything.

Common questions

How often should I check my gutters?

Twice a year is a good rhythm for most Tulsa homes: once in September before the fall storms and the ice, and once in March before hail season. Add a quick look after any storm with hail or strong wind.

What should I photograph before storm season?

Every side of the house from the ground, a close-up of each gutter run and downspout, and the roof edge where you can see it. Dated photos taken before a storm help show what condition things were in.

What do fall storms usually do to gutters?

Straight-line wind is the common one. It needs a loose gutter to start on, such as a gap at the fascia or spikes that have backed out, and then it lifts and peels the run back. Tight hangers and strapped downspouts are what prevent it.

Can I do this walk-around if I can't use a ladder?

Yes. Every item on the ten-point list can be done from the ground with a phone and a hose. Anything that needs a closer look goes on the list for a contractor.

If you found more than two things

Call for a repair visit rather than fixing it piecemeal. A crew on a ladder can do a re-hang, two corners and four extensions in one morning for $400–$600, and will find the soft fascia you cannot see from the yard. If you found nothing, good — do the walk-around again in March, before the hail. That version is gutter repair season.