Colorado, Oklahoma Metro Areas Dominate List of Hail-prone Cities

October 3, 2011

Metropolitan areas in Colorado and Oklahoma have the distinction of making up more than half the list of top 10 hail-prone areas in the United States, according to a recently released study.

The list, which was compiled by CDS Business Mapping, LLC., a Boston-based online hazard mapping firm, puts three Colorado cities and three Oklahoma cities among the top in terms of risk of hail.

The top 10 hail-prone metro areas (population 50,000-plus) list is based on RiskMeter Online’s Hail Model.

The top 10 hail-prone metro areas are: Amarillo, Texas; Wichita, Kan.; Tulsa, Okla.; Oklahoma City, Okla.; Midwest City, Okla.; Aurora, Colo.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Kansas City, Kan.; Fort Worth, Texas; and Denver, Colo.

While Colorado slipped into the list with three of the top 10 metro areas at risk of hail, most of the risk is east of the Rocky Mountains when the cold dry air coming over the Rockies meets the warm, moist air from the Gulf.