Renewed storm threat puts Ozarks, Gulf Coast on alert for wind gusts, hail on Father’s Day

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Father's Day forecast across America

Sunday's forecast features severe storms along the Gulf Coast and northern Rockies. Most major cities along the East Coast will remain dry and Texas will be hot.

Rounds of severe weather are expected to continue through the second half of the Father’s Day weekend, leading to lightning, plenty of rainfall, hail and gusty winds.

The Storm Prediction Center has highlighted the lower Mississippi Valley for where the storms could the strongest on Sunday and have issued a level 3 out of 5 risk for parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

The FOX Forecast Center warns large hail and damaging wind gusts will likely be the primary threats, but an isolated tornado or two cannot be ruled out.

HERE'S WHERE TORNADOES ARE MOST LIKELY TO OCCUR IN EACH MONTH

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Sunday marks nine straight days of widespread severe weather reports across the South, which include an unusual amount of large hail reports.

According to the FOX Forecast Center, this past week was the first time on record that 5-inch hail or larger has been reported for three consecutive days.

Hail is considered severe when it reaches the size of a quarter, but witness reports indicate hail reached the size of DVDs, softballs and even iPhones.

WHAT'S BEHIND ALL THE GIANT HAIL THAT HAS PELTED THE SOUTH?

Here's where the storms are now

Radars across the lower 48 are lit up with plenty of showers and thunderstorms, some of which are strong and even severe.

On the radar animation below, yellow boxes indicate Severe Thunderstorm Warnings and red boxes indicate Tornado Warnings.

In addition to the threat for severe weather, any thunderstorm is capable of producing lightning.

Lightning is not only dangerous, it can also be destructive. The U.S. reported nearly $1 billion in damage from these bolts of electricity in 2022.

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