Fairfield weather: salt spray at the beach, moss on Greenfield Hill
The beach streets take salt spray, wind-driven rain and the full force of nor'easters and tropical storms off the Sound, which corrode fasteners and push water under shingles from unusual angles. Greenfield Hill is the opposite: dense woodland shade that keeps roofs damp, grows moss and algae and fills valleys with leaves. The postwar neighborhoods in between have mature street trees and warm, lightly vented attics that build ice at the eaves after a cold snap. Southport's harbor-facing roofs take wind off the water.

