Farmers’ Almanac says Colorado is among the 10 worst weather states in America

Colorado brags about its sunshine, but the Farmers’ Almanac just reminded everyone about the other thing that falls from our sky. The Almanac has released its list of the 10 worst weather states in the country, and Colorado came in at No. 6.

The ranking looks at tornadoes, billion-dollar disasters, hurricanes, severe storms, hail and extreme temperatures. Colorado doesn’t have to worry about hurricanes, but we’ve got hail covered. The Almanac calls Colorado “the hail capital of the United States.” The state averages about 94 hail events a year, takes roughly $151 million in hail damage every year and has had 38 billion-dollar hailstorms since 1980. If your car has ever looked like a golf ball after a June afternoon, you’re not surprised.

Most of it happens along the Front Range, where storms roll off the mountains and run into warm air on the plains. The area where Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska meet is nicknamed “Hail Alley.” The worst of all came in May 2017, when a storm hammered west Denver and became the most expensive in state history. That’s why every Coloradan knows the drill: when the sky turns green in May, move the car into the garage, even if it means finally cleaning the garage.

For the record, Texas took the top spot. It averages about 155 tornadoes a year, has had 190 billion-dollar disasters since 1980 and has to plan for tornadoes, hurricanes, hail, derechos, wildfires, drought and flash flooding. Florida, Louisiana, Kansas and Oklahoma round out the top five ahead of us. Missouri, Georgia, Illinois and North Carolina fill out the rest. So Colorado isn’t the worst. We’re just the best at hail.

The good news is that hail season mostly wraps up by September, so your windshield should be safe until spring. But if you’ve been putting off fixing last summer’s dents, you might as well wait. Colorado will probably add a few more before long.