Is it possible for wind driven rain to be forced into soffit vents? [duplicate]

Question

Possible Duplicate:
Can wind force rain into the soffits?

Apologies if this question was asked before.

I've recently noticed slight paint peeling in two ceiling locations, right next to (two different) undereave vents in my roof. The vents are at the very top of the exterior wall, right under the roof itself. The house was repainted about 1.5 years ago, no peeling elsewhere.

This side of the house is subject to strong wind-driven rain. I'm wondering if rain could be blowing up into the vents. The rain would actually have to travel slightly upward to do so, but the wind gusts are very strong.

Is this plausible? Right now, the vents are covered only by a wire mesh. What would an appropriate replacement be for these conditions?

Answer 1

Yep, that's perfectly plausible. You're saying that there's only wire mesh in the soffits -- not actual metal soffit vents? That would be the first thing I'd fix. The louvers on the soffit vents make it much harder for rain to blow up and into the attic structure. The second thing you might consider is then putting soffit baffles in ... they may make it harder for water to blow up into and across the attic space, and are generally considered a good idea anyway.