What to Expect from Mother Nature on Father's Day Sunday

Father's Day will bring calm and lovely conditions to some parts of the U.S. while other areas dodge rain showers and thunderstorms. Will you be one of the lucky ones or will you need to come up with alternate plans for outdoor activities? Here is a look at your Father's Day forecast.

West the Place to be for Good Weather on Father's Day

The western third of the U.S. is forecast to enjoy the best weather on the Father's Day holiday. Most areas located to the west of the Rocky Mountains will see plentiful sunshine and minimal threats of rain. Beachgoers should keep in mind that ocean waters are still on the chilly side. While some low clouds may hang over the beaches on the West Coast early in the day, they are expected to burn off by the afternoon hours. This will make it a good weekend to explore some of the coastline of this region.

It will be a warm day for the interior portions of the West. You can expect widespread temperatures in the 80s and 90s for this part of the region. As is typical for the Desert Southwest on Father's Day, temperatures will hover around the triple digits. Be sure to take the proper precautions if your holiday plans call for time outside.

Lastly, those with outdoor recreational plans will also want to be aware of the wildfire danger. The dry conditions as of late will raise the risk of fires breaking out and spreading. Caution is urged when working with open flames.

While you cannot count out a thunderstorm popping off on Sunday afternoon over the Rockies, the activity will be sparse in nature. Most of the storm action is expected to happen on the eastern slope of the Rockies rather than in the Intermountain West.

Looking at a few individual forecasts in the West, Los Angeles is forecast to see bright and sunny skies that push the mercury up into the upper 80s. Overnight lows will dip to about 63 degrees in the City of Angels.

It will be a scorcher of a day in Phoenix. The Valley of the Sun is forecast to see highs soar to about 113 degrees under an abundance of sunshine. It will remain warm overnight with lows that bottom out in the low 80s.

Seattle is in store for a lovely day with highs of about 72 degrees under mostly sunny skies. Overnight lows will slide to about the 50-degree mark.

As noted earlier, it will be a warm day in the interior portions of the West. Places like Boise are forecast to see a high of about 88 degrees with partly cloudy skies. It will be a bit breezy in the Idaho capital city with winds out of the west at 10 to 15 mph. Readings will land at about the 60-degree mark overnight.

Different Story for Areas East of the Rockies

It will be a different weather situation for areas to the east of the Rockies. Higher humidity levels will fuel the development of rain showers and thunderstorms. Forecasters are warning that some of the storms could turn severe at times.

The latest forecast models for Father's Day are calling for a large swath of storms to develop over the central and northern Plains and stretch to the Midwest. Another area of storms is expected from the Mississippi Valley and over to the Eastern Seaboard. Although the day will not be a complete washout, it will be challenging for some areas to squeeze in outdoor activities between the rain showers and the threat of storms.

The highest chance of rain will be during the afternoon and evening hours. Heading outside early will likely provide the best weather.

There are a few specific areas most likely to see rain and storms hang on for several hours. The first zone will be across the lower Mississippi Valley and to the Ohio Valley. The southern Appalachians and the lower portion of the mid-Atlantic coastline will also be under the gun for persistent moisture. A third pocket of regular rain will set up over the northern Plains.

Keep in mind that all it takes is one thunderstorm to generate dangerous lightning. Those with outdoor plans on Sunday should make sure that they have available shelter should a storm roll in. It is critical to move indoors when the first rumble of thunder is heard.

There is still a chance that a zone of high pressure currently anchored near Bermuda could work to push the stormy conditions away from the coastline of Florida and up through North Carolina. Regardless of how this situation plays out, the Southeast will see a warm and humid day on Sunday.

Additionally, a different area of high pressure could also work to push the rain out of New England and the central Great Lakes. Your best bet if you live in this region is to keep tabs on the hourly forecast and make plans accordingly.

Specific City Forecasts Out East

What can you expect on Father's Day specifically in some of the largest urban areas out East? The highest risk of rain showers in New York City will settle in in the latter part of the day and overnight. It will be an unseasonably cool day in the Big Apple with highs of about 69 degrees and lows that fall to 60 degrees.

It will be a dreary holiday in Baltimore. Charm City will be under cloudy skies with scattered rain showers. A steadier rain is forecast to move in during the evening hours. There will not be a great deviation in the temperatures with a forecast high of about 72 degrees and lows that fall into the upper 60s after the sun goes down.

Moving to the Southeast, Atlanta is bracing for the threat of thunderstorms in the afternoon after waking up to rain showers. Despite the rain, highs will still manage to reach the mid 80s before falling into the low 70s overnight.

The storms could hold off until the evening and overnight hours for Raleigh. The city in North Carolina is expecting a high of about 89 degrees, lows of 72 degrees, and winds out of the south-southwest at 5 to 10 mph.

Being flexible with plans will be the best strategy on Father's Day this year if you live in the eastern half of the nation.

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