Father’s Day forecast: West to have best weather for outdoor activities

Thunderstorms could interrupt some outdoor Father’s Day plans this weekend, but not everyone will need to have a raincoat or umbrella at the ready before heading to the golf course or the ballpark.

Where Mother's Day is a popular date on the calendar for enjoying a meal at a restaurant, Father's Day is big for close-to-home outdoor activities, ranging from a day at the ballpark or beach to a fishing excursion or simply firing up the grill and enjoying some family time. And of course, there's absolutely nothing wrong with Dad just taking a snooze on the couch or hammock.

The best areas for sunshine with minimal risk of rain in the United States on Father's Day will be west of the Rockies. In contrast, humid air farther east will lead to areas of showers and thunderstorms, with some of the storms becoming severe, AccuWeather meteorologists say.

For those heading to the West Coast beaches this weekend, the waters are typically very chilly. Low clouds in the morning should burn off, allowing sunshine during the afternoon in most cases.

Farther inland over the West, sunshine will boost the air to very warm to hot levels with widespread highs in the 80s and 90s F. Desert areas can approach 100 degrees. Be sure to pack plenty of water to stay hydrated if taking a hike in the wilderness.

With the landscape drying out, caution is urged with open flames or equipment that can produce sparks to avoid the risk of igniting a wildfire.

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Only very sparse thunderstorm activity is foreseen over the West's mountains, and most of those storms will tend to form on the eastern side of the Rockies, as opposed to the Intermountain region on Sunday.

The trouble from thunderstorms will ramp up east of the Rockies on Father's Day.

AccuWeather meteorologists expect a large zone where thunderstorms can become locally severe over the central and northern Plains to part of the Midwest.

Farther to the east, higher humidity levels and typical June warmth will tend to lead to a mosaic of showers and thunderstorms from the Mississippi Valley to the Atlantic Seaboard. For those who manage to enjoy their day without a downpour or two interrupting activities, luck may be on their side.

While not all of this zone will experience downpours, where it does rain, it may pour for an average of a couple of hours. This time of the year, the bulk of the shower and thunderstorm activity tends to occur from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. local time, with some exceptions. This means there is a better chance for dry weather for outdoor activities in the morning to midday hours, as opposed to the afternoon and evening.

The zones where it could shower and thunderstorm at any time for multiple hours will extend from the lower Mississippi Valley to the Ohio Valley, southern Appalachians and the lower part of the mid-Atlantic coast, with another pocket perhaps over the northern Plains.

Any thunderstorm is capable of producing a lightning strike in the local vicinity with no notice. Seeking shelter beneath trees can be a deadly mistake. Move indoors at the first rumble of thunder. Picnic pavilions, boats and golf carts do not offer adequate protection from lightning.

It is possible that an area of high pressure near Bermuda could exert enough influence to keep storms away from the southern Atlantic beaches from Florida to North Carolina most of the day. The Southeast in general will be very warm and humid on Sunday, where rain stays away.

A small pocket of high pressure may also have just enough cool, dry air to keep much of New England and parts of upstate New York and the central Great Lakes dry as well.

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