Is South Dakota among the most vulnerable to hail damage?

Among state populations, South Dakota’s is one of the most vulnerable to hail damage.

That’s according to an analysis by the online insurance marketplace Insurify, which looked at hail-related events, the financial loss resulting from those events and the proportion of the state’s population without the insurance to cover damages from hail.

South Dakota ranked seventh, with an average of 134 hail events each year causing $12.7 million in financial losses. The state’s rank would be even higher, but overall vulnerability is offset by the high number of residents with full-coverage auto insurance.

Rapid City can be hit particularly hard in the summer because of the city’s proximity to the Black Hills. Winds drafting up the hills force moisture high into the air, where it freezes and falls back as hail.

South Dakota holds the U.S. record for the largest hailstone, measuring 8 inches in diameter and weighing 1.93 pounds.