The eave is where your roof meets your wall - and where hurricanes try hardest to separate them. This critical connection point needs metal clips or straps rated for massive uplift forces.
Think of the eave connection like a handshake between your roof and your walls. In calm weather, gravity keeps them together. But during a hurricane, the roof wants to fly away - and that handshake needs to hold on tight!
The metal clips or straps at this connection are your roof's seat belt. Without them, the wind can literally lift your roof right off the walls.
Wind engineers call the eave edge "Zone 2" because it experiences the second-highest wind pressure on the entire roof (only corners in Zone 3 are worse). Wind accelerates as it flows over this edge, creating intense suction that pulls upward.
At 170 mph design wind speed, this suction can exceed 95 PSF - that's almost 100 pounds pulling on every square foot of roof near the eave!
Hurricane clips attach from one side, rated for about 500-800 pounds. Good for lower wind zones and 16-inch rafter spacing. Hurricane straps wrap over the rafter and nail to both sides of the wall, rated for 1,000-1,500+ pounds.
In Palm Beach County's high wind zone, straps are often required. Every nail hole must be filled - a missing nail can reduce capacity by 15%!
Eave connections in Palm Beach County must resist uplift forces of 400-800 pounds per linear foot of roof depending on the wind zone and roof geometry. At 170 mph design wind speed, a typical residential roof generates over 500 PLF of uplift at the eave. Hurricane clips or straps must be sized to resist this force.
Hurricane clips are small metal connectors that attach the rafter to the top plate from one side, typically rated for 500-800 pounds of uplift. Hurricane straps wrap over the rafter and nail to both sides of the wall, providing 1,000-1,500 pounds or more of uplift resistance. Straps are required in higher wind zones and for wider rafter spacing.
The eave is where wind pressure creates the strongest uplift on the roof. As wind flows over the roof edge, it accelerates and creates suction that pulls the roof upward. This is the Zone 2 area in ASCE 7 wind provisions. If the eave connection fails, the entire roof can progressively peel away starting from this edge.
The number of nails depends on the strap model and required uplift capacity. Typical hurricane straps require 8-16 nails total - split between the rafter side and wall plate side. Each nail must be the correct length and driven at the right angle. Missing even one nail can reduce capacity by 10-15 percent, so proper installation is critical.
Calculate exact uplift forces and specify the right hurricane clips or straps for your roof design. PE-stamped calculations for Palm Beach County permits.
Calculate Eave Wind Loads