NEWS: Disney World Remains Open During Hurricane-Induced Storms

If you’re heading to Disney World soon (or in the coming months!) you’ll need to be prepared for potential bad weather.

With the near-daily thunderstorms in the summertime, the extreme heat and humidity, and then the possibility of larger storms during hurricane season, there’s a lot to look out for. And this week, we’ve been watching a major storm roll through Florida.

Hurricane Debby is heading for Florida, and the outer bands of the storm are causing heavy thunderstorms throughout other parts of the state, including Orlando. We’ve been seeing lots of wind and rain in the Disney World area related to that.

In addition, there was a tornado warning this morning in the Central Florida area, which has now dropped down into a tornado watch. The watch is set to last until 4PM. But how is this weather affecting the operations of the theme parks?

A tornado warning is in effect in Orange County this morning until 9:15 AM. Rotation was seen on radar over Bay Lake. Recommended action per the weather alert is to take shelter in place in an interior room away from windows. pic.twitter.com/SmabMSoX8w

— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) August 5, 2024

At the time of publishing, all the major theme parks in the Central Florida area are operating as usual. Disney World, Universal Orlando, and SeaWorld are all continuing with the regularly scheduled park hours, and will not have early closures or delayed openings due to the weather. In addition, Typhoon Lagoon Water Park and Volcano Bay are also open regular hours.

So if you’re on vacation today, you should be able to operate as usual, just make sure to take your ponchos and umbrellas along with you to the parks! Keep in mind that currently, there’s a wind advisory and a high likelihood of rain all day long. We’ll continue to watch the weather and update you accordingly.

And inside the parks, most outdoor rides will likely close if there’s lightning in the area. Keep a close watch on the theme park wait times apps to see when they come back up, and plan accordingly.

For those heading out, remember to stay safe and pay attention to your weather apps for the most recent coverage. We’ll be watching the path of the hurricane to see if anything changes.