When Is Hail Season? A State by State Guide to Peak Months

Written by Mark Rodgers, President and Founder, Trailstone Insurance Group

Almost everyone can tell you that hurricane season runs from June to November. Ask the same person when hail season is, and you usually get a shrug. That is a problem, because hail quietly causes more damage in this country than tornadoes and hurricanes do, and knowing when your risk peaks is the first step to not getting caught off guard.

Here Is the Short Answer

Across most of the United States, hail season runs from roughly March through August, with peak activity in May and June. There is no single national hail season, though. Hail follows the sun. Peak risk moves northward across the country at about 200 miles per month, starting along the Texas Gulf Coast as early as late February and not reaching the Canadian border until September. Where you live determines your peak month more than the calendar does.

Key Takeaways

• National window: March through August, peaking in May and June, with June the single busiest month nationwide.
• It moves: Southern Plains states peak first, the Central Plains peak in late spring, and the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest peak in early summer.
• It is getting worse: The U.S. recorded 142 days with damaging hail in 2025, well above the 20 year average of 122 days.
• It is expensive: Researchers estimate hail costs the country around 10 billion dollars a year. A single severe storm can now produce nearly 30 billion dollars in insured losses, on par with a major hurricane.
• Coverage matters: Many policies now carry a separate percentage based wind and hail deductible, and roof claims are increasingly paid at actual cash value, not full replacement.

Is There Really a Hail Season? Yes, but It Moves

Hail forms inside strong thunderstorms when powerful updrafts carry raindrops up into freezing layers of the atmosphere. Those conditions show up wherever warm, humid air collides with cold air aloft, and that collision zone marches north as spring turns to summer. That is why there is no one date you can circle.

Think of it as a wave rolling north. The first significant hail of the year tends to hit the Texas Gulf Coast in late February. By the time you reach the high plains of Montana, peak risk does not arrive until September. In between, each region gets its turn. The central Plains often see their earliest storms in March and April, while the northern Plains and Upper Midwest peak in June and July. In the warmer southern states, hail can happen in almost any month.

One landmark sits in the middle of it all. Where Nebraska, Colorado, and Wyoming meet, meteorologists recognize a zone they call Hail Alley. It sees more days of severe hail than anywhere else in the country, thanks to the way the Rocky Mountains feed strong updrafts into passing storms.

Hail Season by Region: When Your Risk Peaks

Here is the practical version, organized by region. Find your part of the country and you have your window.

A few state level notes worth knowing. In Colorado, peak hail activity is commonly cited as April 15 through September 15, one of the longer seasons in the country. Texas and Oklahoma get going early, often in March. Florida is the surprising outlier of the Deep South. Its marine climate suppresses the kind of extreme instability that grows large hail, so it sees comparatively little.

How Bad Is It? The Numbers Behind Hail

Hail rarely makes national headlines the way a hurricane does, and that is part of why people underestimate it. The dollars tell a different story. By FEMA's measure, hail causes roughly 1.1 billion dollars in direct property damage in a typical year. When you add vehicles, crops, and broader losses, researchers put the true annual cost closer to 10 billion dollars.

The trend line is climbing. Stronger storms in a warming climate are producing bigger stones, and more people are building homes in high risk areas. Here are some of the most telling recent figures.

For perspective on what a single storm can do, the heaviest hailstone ever certified in the U.S. fell in Vivian, South Dakota in July 2010 and measured eight inches across. And in Seldon, Kansas, a 1959 storm left hail piled 18 inches deep on level ground. Most storms are nowhere near that extreme, but quarter sized and golf ball sized hail is plenty to total a roof or a windshield.

Which States Get the Most Hail?

Frequency is not the same thing as timing, but it is worth knowing. Texas and Kansas led the nation in number of hail events in 2025. In 2024, Texas logged 529 hail events, a 167 percent jump over the prior year, with Kansas and Illinois next in line. Nebraska now carries the highest hail risk per capita of any state. If you want the full ranking, we cover it in our companion post on the top states most at risk for hail damage.

What This Means for Your Insurance

Knowing your season is useful only if your coverage is ready for it. Here is where hail intersects with your policy, and where a lot of folks get a nasty surprise after a storm.

Your deductible may not be what you think. Many homeowners policies in hail prone states now carry a separate wind and hail deductible, and it is often a percentage of your home's insured value rather than a flat dollar amount. A 2 percent deductible on a 400,000 dollar home is 8,000 dollars out of pocket before coverage kicks in. That is a very different number than the 1,000 dollar deductible many people assume they have.

How your roof gets paid is changing. A growing number of carriers now settle roof claims at actual cash value, which means they subtract depreciation for the age and wear of your roof. An older roof can mean a much smaller check than full replacement cost. This is one of the most important things to understand before a storm, not after.

Your car is covered, but only if you carry the right part. Hail damage to a vehicle is handled by comprehensive coverage, the same part of your policy that covers theft and animal strikes. If you carry liability only, hail repairs come out of your own pocket. Repairs can run from a few hundred dollars for a few dents to several thousand for a roof or windshield.

Filing has a cost beyond the deductible. A hail claim can raise your premium for years, and multiple claims can affect how carriers view you at renewal. That does not mean you should avoid filing a legitimate large claim. It means small, near deductible damage is worth a conversation before you file.

If you are in Colorado or Kansas, ask about Sola. Sola is a supplemental option we offer in those two states that pays out based on the storm itself, measured by wind speed and hail size, rather than the traditional claims process. It can help cover a high percentage based deductible so a bad storm does not blow a hole in your budget.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When does hail season start?

A: It depends on where you live. Hail season begins as early as late February along the Texas Gulf Coast and arrives later as you move north, reaching the northern Plains and Mountain West in early summer. For most of the country, the season runs March through August.

Q: What month has the most hail?

A: June is the single busiest month for hail nationwide, when the most severe storms fire across the Plains. May is a close second.

Q: When is hail season in Colorado?

A: Colorado's peak hail window runs from roughly April 15 to September 15, one of the longer seasons in the country, driven by its spot near Hail Alley.

Q: Does homeowners insurance cover hail damage?

A: Yes, standard homeowners policies cover hail damage to your roof and home. Watch for a separate wind and hail deductible, which is often a percentage of your home's value, and check whether your roof is covered at replacement cost or actual cash value.

Q: Does car insurance cover hail damage?

A: Comprehensive coverage pays for hail damage to your vehicle, after your deductible. Liability only policies do not cover it.

Q: Is hail getting worse?

A: The data points that way. The U.S. saw 142 days of damaging hail in 2025, above the 20 year average of 122, and a warming climate is expected to produce more of the largest, most damaging stones.

Q: Should I file a hail claim for minor damage?

A: Not always. If the damage is close to your deductible, filing may cost you more in future premium than you recover. Talk it through with your agent first so you can make an informed call.

Q: How can I lower my hail risk and cost?

A: Consider impact resistant roofing and windows, park vehicles under cover during peak season, review your deductible before storms arrive, and in Colorado and Kansas ask about supplemental Sola coverage.

Your Hail Season Checklist

• Know your window: Find your region in the table above and mark your peak months.
• Check your deductible: Confirm whether you have a separate wind and hail deductible and whether it is a flat dollar amount or a percentage of your home's value.
• Confirm how your roof is covered: Ask whether claims are paid at replacement cost or actual cash value.
• Verify your auto coverage: Make sure you carry comprehensive if hail is a real risk where you live.
• Protect what you can: Park under cover during peak months and consider impact resistant materials at your next roof replacement.
• Ask about Sola if you are in Colorado or Kansas.
• Schedule a review before your season starts, not after a storm.

Your Next Step

Hail is one of those risks that is easy to ignore right up until the morning you walk outside and see dents in your hood and dimples in your shingles. The good part is that this is a risk you can prepare for, because unlike a surprise, hail has a season. A few minutes spent on your coverage now beats a few thousand dollars of surprise later.

Through our TRAC process, the Trailstone Risk Assessment and Comparison, we shop your coverage across more than 40 companies and walk through your deductibles line by line so you know exactly where you stand before storm season. Reach out to Trailstone through our website at www.trailstoneinsurance.com or give us a call. We will provide a complimentary review of your insurance and a written summary for your records, so nothing about your coverage is a guess.

Written by Mark Rodgers, President and Founder, Trailstone Insurance Group