Hail. It's not just small pebbles of ice falling from the sky. No, hail can cause immense damage to homes, businesses, and of course, cars and trucks. But how bad is the damage, really? Well, to give you an idea, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is reporting that bigger-than-baseball-size hail, exactly what struck Texas a few weeks ago and which shattered windows, busted the roofs, and dinged the bodies of many vehicles, causes millions in insurance payouts.

This updated report claims that "2011 and 2014 were the costliest years for hail-related claims in the US during the 2008-14 study period." All told, total payouts for that period amounted to an estimated $7.26 billion. In 2011 the total amount in payouts was $948.3 million, while in 2014 that figure rose $968.9 million. According to IIHS, "the analysis excluded any hail storms that accompanied tornadoes, since it isn't possible using the Highway Loss Data Institute's (HLDI) data to determine which weather event caused the damage that led to the claim. Motorcycle claims were also excluded." A total of 31 insurance companies contributed data to the study.

What's more, those companies' exposure represents 87 percent of the comprehensive coverage in HLDI's database. But which US states had the highest hail-claim frequencies? Check out the data below and be sure to read the full report about the high cost of hail. 1. South Dakota 2. Nebraska 3. Oklahoma 4. Kansas 5. Wyoming 6. Montana 7. Colorado 8. Missouri 9. Iowa 10. Texas