1. Location, Location, Location

Mother Nature does play favoritism to a small grouping of states that have earned the title of Hail Alley. The states that have taken the top 4 are Montana, Colorado, Kansas, and Texas. Farmers’ Insurance claims data from 2013-2017, identified auto hail damage as the top trouble spot for car owners between the months of March and May. For the last 4 years, auto hail damage has claimed 58% of all comprehensive claims spots. If a spring vacation to any of those 4 states is planned for the near future, there is a chance you could get hail damage.

2. Watch The Weather

If you are planning a trip out-of-state, especially to the top 4 hail states listed above, make sure you check the forecast for the days you will be vacationing. This includes the days you will be driving to get there and the time you spend at your destination. If you have a weather radio, you should think about bringing it along on your trip. If you don’t, you can pick one up at your local hardware store for around $35. Alternatively, there are some amazing weather alert Apps out there that will notify you when a big storm is coming your way.

Emergency Alerts on iPhone. A fairly recent law requires that smartphones come with the ability to offer emergency alerts by default. You can easily enable these in Settings.

• Open up the Settings app.
• Tap on Notification Center.
• Scroll all the way down to the bottom.
• Tap on the toggle switch next to Emergency Alerts.

3. Take A Detour

If, during your weather research, you do see inclement weather forecasted during or around the time of your vacation, make sure you have a Plan B. This doesn’t mean that your Plan B should be detouring to another state. We simply suggest researching other routes you can take if you learn of or are warned of a potentially damaging storm up ahead.

4. Take Cover

While on the road and even once you get there, make sure you scope out the area around where you are for shelter. On the highway, gas stations and car washes provide temporary shelter from hailstones. The worst place you can go looking for shelter is under a bridge or overpass. You never want to count on the other drivers impeccable driving skills in a time of greatly reduced road visibility. Once to your destination, look around nearby for covered hotel parking, parking garages at shopping malls or covered city parking. Again, car washes provide suitable shelter in a pinch.

5. You Are Covered

That is, only if you have Comprehensive Insurance coverage on your vehicle. Before heading out on your Spring vacation, call your insurance company and make sure you are properly covered for hail damage. It does not matter the state the damage incurred, only that you are sufficiently covered.

At Dent Headquarters, we specialize in auto hail repair. We provide paintless dent repair services for entire Northern Texas region. If you live within 20 minutes of our shop located in Plano, TX, we offer a complimentary pick-up and delivery service for complete auto hail damage repairs.

We are an insurance adjuster owned paintless dent repair shop and provide speedy and accurate hail damage inspections and repair quotes.

Hail Fact: On average, tennis ball to baseball size hail happens roughly how many days a year in North Texas? 4-5 Days.