Quick answer: Yes, wind can damage a closed garage door. Garage door wind damage usually starts with a wide door bowing inward or being pulled outward, which can pop rollers out of the tracks and crease panels. Keep the door closed in high wind, skip homemade bracing, and after a storm stop using any door that looks bent, crooked or off track.
Key takeaways
- The garage door is the biggest opening in most houses. Wind can push it in or pull it out.
- Wide double doors usually flex more than single doors, so their middle sections tend to bow first.
- Keep the door closed in high wind, and skip homemade bracing. The extra weight can collapse the tracks.
- After a storm, a bowed, crooked or off-track door means stop using it and call.
Can wind damage a closed garage door?
Yes. A closed door is a big, flat set of panels held in place by rollers in two tracks. DASMA, the door manufacturers’ association, puts it plainly in its technical sheet on garage doors and high wind: a garage door “is subject to either being blown into the garage or pulled out of the opening.”
Wind presses on the side of the house it hits and can pull on the sheltered side. So a door facing the storm gets pushed in, and a door on the downwind side can be sucked out. Either way, the panels flex and the load moves to the rollers, hinges and tracks. If the door gives way, the wind is inside the garage.
Why do garage doors bow or bend in a storm?
A sectional door is a stack of panels hinged together. Each panel acts like a long shelf: the longer the span, the more it bulges in the middle. A double-car door is much wider than a single, so it usually bows first and farthest.
When the middle of the door bows, the ends of each section get pulled toward the center. That can drag rollers out of the tracks, bend a hinge or leave a crease across a panel. A creased panel is weaker the next time the wind blows.
Age makes it worse. Thin steel, tired hinges, worn rollers and loose track brackets give the wind an easier start. Plenty of older homes around Portland and Vancouver still have wide doors that were never built with wind in mind.
What is a wind-rated garage door?
It is a door built and tested to hold a set wind load. DASMA’s explanation of codes and wind loads notes that the 2006 International Residential Code added garage doors to the list of exterior doors and windows that must meet wind load requirements, and that doors are tested to a standard called ANSI/DASMA 108. The required rating varies with door size, the building and its exposure, so ask your city or county building department what applies to your home.
The strength comes from the factory. Wayne Dalton’s reinforced doors use heavier-gauge hardware and reinforced tracks. Clopay says its wind-rated doors have the reinforcement built in, so there is nothing to put up before a storm. If you are replacing a tired door anyway, ask about wind load ratings. Our pages on steel garage doors and new door installations are a good place to start.
Here is how common setups tend to hold up:
| Door setup | How it handles wind | What tends to fail first | What to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single door, standard | Short span, flexes less | Dents, a bent hinge | Rubbing, new noises |
| Double door, standard | Wide span flexes most in the middle | Middle panels bow, rollers pop out | A bow, a creased panel, a crooked door |
| Wind-rated door | Factory reinforced, tested to a wind load | Holds to its rating if installed right | Loose fasteners, track mounting |
| Door with homemade bracing | Extra weight the springs were not set for | Tracks strain and can collapse | A heavy, slow or uneven door |
| Door left open | Lets wind into the garage | Walls, ceiling and roof take the load | Damage beyond the door |
Should I brace my garage door before a windstorm?
Not with homemade bracing. Screwing lumber across the inside of the door sounds sensible, but DASMA warns that unauthorized field reinforcement “will increase the weight of the door and may result in failure or collapse of the supporting tracks.”
Your springs are set to balance the weight of your door as it is. Add weight and the springs, cables and opener all work harder, and the door can come down faster than you expect. Real wind resistance comes from a door and track system rated for the load. Here is what does help:
- Keep the door closed. DASMA says an open door in high wind leaves the walls, ceilings and roof structure open to damage.
- Watch the alerts. The National Weather Service says a High Wind Warning means “sustained, strong winds with even stronger gusts are happening.” Move the car before the wind arrives, not during it.
- Clear the driveway. Bring in bins, bikes and patio furniture so they cannot slam into the door.
- Check the seal. Make sure the door closes all the way and the bottom seal meets the floor.
Gorge east winds and Pacific storms: what hits Portland and Vancouver
We get two kinds of damaging wind here. The first is the east wind out of the Columbia River Gorge. NWS Portland explains that it forms when high pressure over the upper Columbia Basin meets a strong low over the Pacific, and “the narrow section of the Gorge funnels the winds, resulting in strong winds at the exit point of the gorge.” Locally, that means Troutdale and east Vancouver. Gusts over 120 mph have been recorded at Crown Point, about 20 miles east of Portland, though winds that strong usually stay close to the Gorge.
The second is the Pacific storm from the southwest, which NWS Portland names as the source of most of Oregon’s destructive winds. The Columbus Day Storm of 1962 brought 116 mph gusts to the Morrison Bridge. The big storms on the NWS list all struck between October and February, so early fall is the time to get ready.
Which way your garage faces matters. East-facing doors in Gresham, Camas and east Vancouver tend to take the Gorge wind head-on, while doors facing south or west catch the Pacific storms. Falling limbs also knock out power across Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington and Clark counties, so it pays to know how to open your door by hand.
After the storm: checking for garage door wind damage, and what not to touch
Once the wind has passed, look before you press the button. Turn on the lights and check the door from inside while it is still closed. Watch for:
- A bow or bulge across the middle sections, or a crease in a panel
- Rollers sitting outside the track, or a gap between the door and the track
- A track that is bent or pulled away from the wall
- A door that hangs crooked or shows daylight on one side
- A frayed or slack cable (see our cable warning signs guide)
- Torn weatherstripping or a bottom seal pulled loose
Any of the first five means stop using the door and call. Keep people and pets away, do not run the opener, and do not pull the red emergency release if the door is stuck open or partly open, because a damaged door can drop. Do not push rollers back into the track or hammer out a bow. Leave springs, cables and bottom brackets alone: they hold a lot of stored energy, and a storm can strain them in ways you cannot see.
If the door looks straight, runs smoothly and sounds normal, run the monthly balance and reversal tests to be sure. A torn seal is not urgent and can be replaced later.
When to call a professional
Call us when the door is bowed, off track, crooked or suddenly heavy, or if you heard a loud bang during the storm. Those signs can point to damage in parts under spring tension, which takes training and the right tools to handle.
Our garage door repair technicians at Larry Myers Garage Doors handle panels, rollers, hinges, cables, springs and tracks, and same-day service is available. If the door is past saving, we will walk you through replacement and give you a free estimate.
You do not have to wait for a storm. If your door is old, already bowed or rattles whenever the east wind picks up, have it checked this fall. Call our Portland line at 503-852-9238 or our Vancouver line at 360-777-6854.
Frequently asked questions
Should I leave my garage door open or closed in a windstorm?
Closed. DASMA warns that keeping a garage door open during high winds leaves the interior walls, ceilings and roof structure vulnerable to damage. Close the door before the wind arrives and keep it closed until the storm passes. If you need the car, move it out ahead of time.
What wind speed can a standard garage door handle?
There is no single number. A door’s strength depends on its width, construction, hardware and installation, and DASMA notes that the wind load a door must meet varies with door size, the building and its exposure. Wind-rated doors are tested to a standard called ANSI/DASMA 108. Your city or county building department can tell you what applies where you live.
Is it safe to use a garage door that bowed in the wind?
No. A door that bowed may have bent hinges or damaged rollers, even if it looks close to normal now. Running the opener can pull the door further out of line or let it drop. Keep people and pets clear, leave the door where it is and have a technician check it first.
Will homeowners insurance cover wind damage to a garage door?
Coverage varies, so check your policy and talk with your agent. What we can do is inspect the door, explain what failed and why, and give you a free estimate for the repair or a replacement. Until then, keep people and pets away from a damaged door and do not run the opener.
Did the wind leave your garage door bent or off track?
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