What car paint faces where you live
Sun, hail, winter roads and humid summers by state, from government weather data, and what a coating or film can and can't do about each one.
Where paint has it hardest
- Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Missouri and South Dakota had the most hail reports of 1 inch or larger per square mile from 2016 to 2025, led by Kansas at 74.6 a year per 10,000 square miles (NOAA Storm Prediction Center).
- Where people live, Arizona, Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada and California get the most sunlight, Arizona averaging 5.82 kWh per square meter a day (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2025).
- Vermont, Alaska, Wyoming, Maine and Michigan average the most days with an inch or more of snow, Vermont about 26 a year (NOAA 1991 to 2020 climate normals).
- Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and South Carolina have the most humid summers, Florida with an average June to August dew point of 74.4°F (NASA POWER).
How to cite:CeramicCoating.com, "Paint Exposure by State," October 2026, from NOAA, NASA POWER and Census Bureau data. https://ceramiccoating.com/research/paint-exposure/
What each one does to paint, and what helps
Sun
Years of sunlight and heat fade and dry out unprotected clear coat, starting on the roof and hood. Coating and film makers advertise UV resistance, and the main clear films carry warranties against yellowing and cracking. A garage or shade does more than either.
Hail
Neither a coating nor paint protection film stops a hailstone denting a panel. Covered parking is the protection. If your state is high on the hail list, check how your car insurance treats hail before storm season.
Winter roads
Salt and the sand and grit spread with it sit on lower panels and the underside. A coating makes the salt film easier to rinse off, and film on the front takes the grit that chips paint. Wash through the winter, including underneath.
Humid, rainy summers
More rain and dew mean more water drying on the paint, and more minerals left behind. A coating can't stop water spots; drying the car after washing and rain can.
Not sure what fits your car? Try the decision tool, or compare what coating and film cost over time.
By state
Select a column heading to sort. Hail per 10,000 square miles isn't ranked for DC, Rhode Island or Delaware, where a few reports make a very large figure.
| Alabama | 106 | 20.9 | 4.56 | 0.3 | 70°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 1 | 0 | 2.52 | 20.1 | 48°F |
| Arizona | 27 | 2.3 | 5.82 | 0.4 | 47°F |
| Arkansas | 161 | 30.9 | 4.43 | 1.2 | 68°F |
| California | 8 | 0.5 | 5.33 | 0.4 | 49°F |
| Colorado | 383 | 37 | 4.84 | 16.1 | 42°F |
| Connecticut | 7 | 14.7 | 3.90 | 11 | 62°F |
| Delaware | 3 | n/a | 4.10 | 4.3 | 66°F |
| District of Columbia | 2 | n/a | 4.12 | 3.3 | 65°F |
| Florida | 65 | 12.2 | 4.93 | 0 | 74°F |
| Georgia | 92 | 15.9 | 4.56 | 0.2 | 68°F |
| Hawaii | 0 | 0.2 | 5.64 | 0 | 68°F |
| Idaho | 21 | 2.5 | 4.40 | 11.5 | 42°F |
| Illinois | 222 | 40 | 3.92 | 9.8 | 63°F |
| Indiana | 107 | 29.9 | 3.95 | 8.5 | 64°F |
| Iowa | 264 | 47.2 | 4.05 | 11.1 | 62°F |
| Kansas | 610 | 74.6 | 4.46 | 4.8 | 65°F |
| Kentucky | 101 | 25.6 | 4.10 | 3.6 | 66°F |
| Louisiana | 101 | 23.3 | 4.66 | 0 | 73°F |
| Maine | 17 | 5.5 | 3.70 | 18.7 | 59°F |
| Maryland | 35 | 36.2 | 4.08 | 5.2 | 65°F |
| Massachusetts | 14 | 17.3 | 3.83 | 12.7 | 61°F |
| Michigan | 59 | 10.5 | 3.76 | 17.4 | 60°F |
| Minnesota | 302 | 37.9 | 3.84 | 14.4 | 59°F |
| Mississippi | 114 | 24.3 | 4.60 | 0.2 | 70°F |
| Missouri | 337 | 49 | 4.24 | 4.4 | 66°F |
| Montana | 164 | 11.2 | 3.97 | 17.1 | 45°F |
| Nebraska | 472 | 61.4 | 4.30 | 9 | 61°F |
| Nevada | 3 | 0.3 | 5.51 | 2.7 | 37°F |
| New Hampshire | 25 | 27.7 | 3.77 | 16.5 | 60°F |
| New Jersey | 22 | 29.2 | 3.96 | 6.8 | 64°F |
| New Mexico | 104 | 8.6 | 5.57 | 3.4 | 45°F |
| New York | 56 | 11.9 | 3.87 | 13 | 63°F |
| North Carolina | 113 | 23.2 | 4.44 | 1.2 | 67°F |
| North Dakota | 211 | 30.5 | 3.94 | 14.8 | 54°F |
| Ohio | 103 | 25.2 | 3.83 | 11.4 | 62°F |
| Oklahoma | 438 | 63.9 | 4.65 | 1.8 | 67°F |
| Oregon | 11 | 1.1 | 3.89 | 2.2 | 52°F |
| Pennsylvania | 93 | 20.7 | 3.83 | 9.7 | 62°F |
| Rhode Island | 1 | n/a | 3.99 | 10.3 | 62°F |
| South Carolina | 62 | 20.6 | 4.62 | 0.3 | 69°F |
| South Dakota | 361 | 47.6 | 4.16 | 13.5 | 56°F |
| Tennessee | 125 | 30.3 | 4.30 | 1.3 | 67°F |
| Texas | 1,106 | 42.3 | 4.82 | 0.3 | 68°F |
| Utah | 11 | 1.3 | 4.85 | 16.7 | 41°F |
| Vermont | 7 | 7.6 | 3.57 | 25.5 | 59°F |
| Virginia | 104 | 26.3 | 4.20 | 3.7 | 65°F |
| Washington | 5 | 0.7 | 3.56 | 3.3 | 53°F |
| West Virginia | 53 | 22 | 3.93 | 9.5 | 62°F |
| Wisconsin | 164 | 30.2 | 3.79 | 14.8 | 60°F |
| Wyoming | 138 | 14.2 | 4.53 | 19.7 | 42°F |
How we measure, and the limits
- Hail is reports of hail 1 inch or larger in NOAA's Storm Prediction Center database, 2016 to 2025, averaged per year and divided by the state's land area. Reports come from people, so they cluster near towns and roads; a rural state's figure is likely low.
- Sun is average daily solar energy reaching the ground (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2025), weighted by where each state's people live. It tracks UV closely but isn't a UV index.
- Snow days are days a year with an inch or more of snow, from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals, population-weighted. We use them as a stand-in for road salt, since no source reports salt use for every state.
- Summer dew point is the June to August average (NASA POWER), population-weighted. Dew point measures how humid air feels better than relative humidity, which is highest in cold states.
Sources
- NOAA Storm Prediction Center, Severe Weather Database: hail reports 1955-2025 (file dated 23 Apr 2026), retrieved 2026-10-18.
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Gazetteer Files: States (ALAND_SQMI land area), retrieved 2026-10-18.
- NASA POWER Climatology API: ALLSKY_SFC_SW_DWN (all-sky surface shortwave downward irradiance = global horizontal irradiance; CERES SYN1deg / GEWEX SRB v4), Jan 2001-Dec 2025 climatology, 1 x 1 degree, retrieved 2026-10-18.
- NASA POWER Climatology API: T2MDEW (MERRA-2 dew point/frost point at 2 m), Jan 2001-Dec 2025 climatology, 0.5 x 0.625 degree, retrieved 2026-10-18.
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, annual/seasonal normals by station (v1.0.1, c20230404), retrieved 2026-10-18.
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Centers of Population by County, retrieved 2026-10-18.
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Cartographic Boundary File, States 1:5,000,000, retrieved 2026-10-18.
- NOAA Office for Coastal Management, Shoreline Mileage of the United States, retrieved 2026-10-18.
Suggested citation
CeramicCoating.com, "Paint Exposure by State," October 2026, from NOAA, NASA POWER and Census Bureau data. https://ceramiccoating.com/research/paint-exposure/
Weather and car paint: common questions
Does ceramic coating protect against hail?
No. A coating is a thin layer on the clear coat and film is a few thousandths of an inch thick; neither stops a hailstone denting a panel. Covered parking is what protects a car from hail.
Is ceramic coating worth it in a sunny state?
Sun is the exposure a coating or film is most often bought for. Coating and film makers advertise UV resistance, and the main clear films carry warranties against yellowing and cracking. In Arizona, Hawaii and New Mexico, shade or a garage matters just as much.
Does road salt damage ceramic coating?
Salt and the grit spread with it are hard on paint and the underside of a car. A coating makes salt film easier to rinse off, and film on the front takes the grit that chips paint. Neither replaces washing the car, including underneath, through the winter.
Which states are hardest on car paint?
It depends on the threat. Kansas leads for hail per square mile, Arizona for sun, Vermont for snow days and Florida for humid summers. We don't combine them into one score, because which matters most depends on how and where you park.