How Can Central Texas Weather Affect Your Garage Door?

Central Texas weather works on a garage door in three main ways: summer sun heats the outer skin and can make an insulated door bow, long hot seasons wear out seals and finishes faster, and spring storms bring hail, wind and power cuts. Most of these effects show up as rubbing, gaps, fading or a door that stops working on a stormy afternoon.

How hot it actually gets

At the National Weather Service's Waco climate site, north of Killeen, the 1991–2020 normal high is 96.7°F in July and 97.1°F in August. NWS records put the average first 100°F day at Waco on July 4 and the average last one on August 30. A west- or south-facing door spends much of that season in direct afternoon sun.

Thermal bowing: why a door can rub in the afternoon

Many insulated doors are built like a sandwich: a steel skin on each side bonded to a foam core. DASMA, the door industry's trade group, explains that when one skin is much warmer than the other, the warm skin expands more and the door bows toward the hot side. DASMA treats this as a normal trait of bonded insulated doors, not a defect.

DASMA lists what makes bowing worse:

• a bigger temperature difference between outside and inside, such as an air-conditioned garage on a hot day;
• a wider door;
• a darker color facing the sun;
• a south-facing door in direct sun rather than a shaded north-facing one;
• aluminum or plastic skins, which expand more than steel.

An outward bow can make the top section rub the header above the opening. An inward bow can leave a visible gap at the top. If either appears only on hot afternoons, tell the pro that pattern. DASMA's usual remedy is horizontal reinforcing struts across the back of the door, sized to the door and the amount of bow; track or seal adjustment can also help on some doors.

Dark colors and finishes

Clopay, a door manufacturer, notes that a black door's surface runs noticeably hotter than a white one in the same sun, which can also warm the garage. It warns that UV exposure speeds fading, and that painting a door dark yourself without checking the maker's specifications may void the warranty. If you want a dark door on a sunny wall, ask for a factory finish designed for it and read what the warranty excludes.

Storms, hail and power cuts

NOAA's Texas state climate summary reports that 20 of the nation's 27 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in 2024 affected Texas, and 16 of those were severe storms. It also notes that Texas tornado activity typically peaks from April to June. For a garage door, that can mean hail dents in a steel skin, a door pushed out of its tracks by wind, or a power cut that leaves the door shut with the car inside.

A door that has come out of its track or hangs crooked needs a pro. The springs and cables holding it are under high tension, so do not try to force it back into place.

A quick end-of-summer check

The International Door Association, another trade group, suggests simple monthly homeowner checks:

• With the door closed, look at the springs, cables, rollers and pulleys for wear, and look closely for fraying on the cables. Look only; do not adjust them.
• Watch the door run and note rubbing at the top, new gaps or jerky motion.
• Lay a piece of wood, such as a 2x4, flat on the floor in the doorway and close the door with the opener. It should reverse when it touches the wood. If it does not, stop using the opener until a pro has checked it.

When to bring in a pro

Call a local pro if the door rubs, bows or gaps more each week, if a storm has bent sections or knocked the door off its track, or if it fails the reversal test. If an older door is faded or dented past repair, see new door installation and what a new garage door quote should include. If the door has stopped moving, start with what to check when the door will not open.

We connect Killeen homeowners with independent local pros. You confirm the price and schedule directly with them.

Common questions

Is my garage door warping in the heat?

If it is an insulated steel door and the rubbing or gap comes on hot afternoons and fades by evening, thermal bowing is the likely cause. DASMA says reinforcing struts can usually reduce it until it no longer affects how the door runs.

Should I avoid a black garage door in Killeen?

Not necessarily, but a dark door on a sunny wall runs hotter and bows more. Choose a factory finish made for dark colors and check what the warranty says about fading and bowing.

How should I compare insulated doors for a hot garage?

DASMA says to compare the tested U-factor of the whole installed door, where lower is better. A section R-value is a calculation for one panel and leaves out the joints and edges.