Severe storms to torment central US into Father's Day weekend
Thunderstorms will be a daily occurrence across parts of the central United States into Father's Day weekend, bringing the threat of lightning, hail, strong winds and a few tornadoes.
AccuWeather’s Geoff Cornish and Damien Lodes break down the weather moving across the central US in the top story of June 11.
Slow-moving storms will cause severe weather to repeat over portions of the central United States from the Rockies to the Mississippi Valley through Sunday.
While lightning is the most common threat to lives and property during summer thunderstorms, some of the storms that erupt this weekend will bring powerful wind gusts, hail and flash flooding, AccuWeather meteorologists warn. In a few of the strongest storms, a tornado can briefly touch down.
A tornado is visible from Northern Illinois University's Husky Hail Hunter vehicle on Friday, June 6, 2025, in Levelland, Texas. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
"Even pea- to marble-sized hail can be quite damaging to crops and vegetation, especially when it's wind-driven or so much falls that it covers the ground," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said. "It can scar the fruits and vegetables and do enough damage to leaves to take weeks to recover."
Severe weather threat on Thursday
The likelihood of at least some severe weather will continue in portions of central and northeastern Texas, as well as western Louisiana and southwestern Arkansas into Thursday night. However, the severe weather threat will also expand farther to the east through much of eastern Arkansas, central and northeastern Louisiana, northwestern Mississippi and the Memphis, Tennessee, area.
Farther west and north, a swath where locally severe thunderstorms can occur will extend from West Texas and central and eastern New Mexico to the I-25 corridor in Colorado, then northeastward to western, central and northern Nebraska, southern South Dakota, northwestern Iowa and southwestern Minnesota.
More severe storms in store for Friday
Thunderstorms will continue to rumble across the central U.S. to close out the week, with severe thunderstorms from Texas to Montana on Friday. While most of the storms in this zone will be widely separated, a greater concentration of potent storms is likely from the Nebraska Panhandle, northwestward to central Montana.
Severe weather risk continues for Father's Day weekend
Much of the same zone will be at risk for at least widely separated severe thunderstorms on Saturday. However, the northern part of the severe weather zone will broaden to include northeastern Montana and much of the western half of North Dakota.
Each individual storm will bring the risk of damaging hail, powerful downburst wind gusts and flash flooding to a highly localized area. However, where the storms repeat on a daily basis, the risk of more general flash flooding over several counties will increase.
As the weekend progresses, locally drenching and gusty thunderstorms may erupt in parts of the Ohio and Tennessee valleys, as well as portions of the central and southern Appalachians and on to part of the mid-Atlantic region, with localized flash flooding possible.
By Father's Day afternoon and evening, locally severe thunderstorms will be possible along the southern and middle portions of the Eastern Seaboard.
More severe thunderstorms are forecast to erupt over portions of the northern and central Plains on Sunday as well.
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