Daily Thundershowers in August at Disney?

[belleincanada]

I'm going from August 28th to Sept. 4th, and everyone's been telling me lately that it seems to rain in buckets for about 15-20 minutes a day,then it stops and is fine for the rest of the day.

1. Is this true?
2. If so, what time around approx. in the day does this happen?
3. What are the good indoor rides to do while it rains?



Thanks

 

[Dreamer04]

In August '04 20th to the 26th, there was a thunderstorm every day, in the afternoon. Say around 3 ish. Then its over.

Some good rides would be Pirates of the Caribbean, Mickey's Philarmagic, Its a Small World.

 

[Kath2003]

Yup. We always vacation in August. There are a couple of ways to deal with them:

1. Ride something tall at around 2pm. Florida is totally flat: you can see a storm coming miles off. This should give you a good half hour ahead of everyone else to get back to the hotel pool for a swim before the stampede of people leaving the parks hits.

2. Book yourself a late lunch at around 3pm. We did this in MK at the Crystal Palace. Literally, as we were being seated, the whole storm kicked off. An hour later, when we were through, we had a half-empty park with glorious sunshine again.

3. Save all shopping etc. for this time, and any indoor shows like Philharmagic. Bring a poncho to run between them in.

 

[belleincanada]

Yup. We always vacation in August. There are a couple of ways to deal with them:

1. Ride something tall at around 2pm. Florida is totally flat: you can see a storm coming miles off. This should give you a good half hour ahead of everyone else to get back to the hotel pool for a swim before the stampede of people leaving the parks hits.

2. Book yourself a late lunch at around 3pm. We did this in MK at the Crystal Palace. Literally, as we were being seated, the whole storm kicked off. An hour later, when we were through, we had a half-empty park with glorious sunshine again.

3. Save all shopping etc. for this time, and any indoor shows like Philharmagic. Bring a poncho to run between them in.

Thanks to both of you! ...Hey Kathy - my sister and her husband live in Exeter, that's so cool! I haven't been there yet, but hopefully I will be going soon.

Oh! And when I go to Disney, the DBF and I are definitely going to the Grand Floridian for Afternoon Tea - they have Devonshire cream there! We do NOT get that here in Canada, so I'm very excited

 

[Praying Colonel]

Last time we were there in August was '04--Hurricane Charley hit that Friday, which is another story...

Anyway, yes, we found it rained just about every day, and it was usually between 4-7 p.m. We planned for it by taking ponchos we bought at the local Dollar Tree before we left. They came pre-packaged, 3/$1. We just used them as disposable--carried them with us in a fanny pack, put them on when it started raining, and after the shower was over, threw them in the trash. Cost for all of them was about the same as one of the Mickey ponchos you buy in the parks, but we didn't have to keep up with them all the time, either.

What attraction is best depends on which park you're in and where you are in the park. Shopping's a good general fallback. But everybody else will have that idea, too.

 

[Quinn222]

Yes, that's the rainy season and is typical from mid-july through the end of September. Overall June tends to be wetter, with more rainy days but still pleasant.

 

[Kath2003]

Thanks to both of you! ...Hey Kathy - my sister and her husband live in Exeter, that's so cool! I haven't been there yet, but hopefully I will be going soon.

Oh! And when I go to Disney, the DBF and I are definitely going to the Grand Floridian for Afternoon Tea - they have Devonshire cream there! We do NOT get that here in Canada, so I'm very excited

Hey that's cool! Exeter's a great place, really beautiful, loads of fantastic countryside around and some of the best beaches in the UK nearby too. Devon cream teas are FANTASTIC (and calorific) - it's coming up to cream tea season here which I'm looking forward to! Scone + jam + clotted cream = heaven. We also eat lots of Eton Mess (crumbled bits of merange, strawberries and cream but we use clotted cream); and clotted-cream ice creams which are a classic from the nearest beach to here (a vanilla ice cream cone with a blob of clotted cream on top...mmm!).

Back on topic, August is my favourite time to visit Florida, despite the thunder storms. We usually take the "riding something tall at 2pm" approach which has never failed us yet!

 

[NewJersey]

I went last August and it t-stormed about every day for 10 minutes then was sunny. not a big deal at all.

 

[Albertan mom]

This may sound like a dumb question but is there anyway to tell if it is going to be a short 10 minute storm, or one that lasts for hours?
Or do they not get ones that last for hours?
Thanks!

 

[Grumpy92]

Just to put my two cents in.
I'm a native Floridian and I have experience with these summer showers. The weather in Florida can be extremely unpredictable. Sometimes these showers last 15 to 20 minutes. Sometimes they last all afternoon. This is a good time to take a break. However if there is no Thunder and lightning and it's just raining you can just wear an old pair of sneakers and your pancho and continue. Usually it's a less crowded time to vist indoor attractions. Be prepared is the best advice.

 

[goofy4tink]

When we were there in '03, it was incredibly rainy. Huge thunderstorms on most days. One day, the monorail even shut down because a tornado had been spotted in the area. It rained, hard, for about 5 hrs that day. It was like that for about 3 days. then, it was just a brief shower of about an hour each afternoon for the remaining 4 days of our trip. Then, in '04, there was H. Charley...whole different story.
So, yes...it does rain almost every afternoon...sometimes for a short time, sometimes for longer. But, it hasn't stopped our fun. People leave the parks in droves, so it is less crowded. and since it's hot out, the wet feels good. Just be sure to pack a poncho in your backpack or fannypack each day!!!

 

[CanadianGuy]

On my many trips to Disney - usually in late May or early June, I've pretty much planned on the 3-4pm shower and/or thunderstorm.

What worked for us pretty well.. we'd leave the parks around 1:30 or 2pm go back to the hotel.. hang by the pool a bit.. and wait for the shower. Immediately as the shower began, we'd start getting ready to return to the parks. Most days, the shower was over by 4:30p and that was bout the time we were arriving at whatever park for the evening.

J

 

[DisneyDK]

Even a rainy day a WDW can be better than a sunny day at home!

 

[luvfigment]

Last year I went in Aug (15th-20th) and there were storms everyday sometimes even up to 11 pm. Now luckily we were always in a different part of the World that they did not affect us so keep that in mind. Yes somtimes all of Disney World gets hit but that day we never had the storms where we were.

The rain sometimes empties the park out also so if you do an indoor activity like the Hall of Presidents, World Showcase, or at MGM do Walts Dream you will be fine and who knows some of the lines might be shorter.

 

[Selket]

We were there the same year in August as Goofy4Tink and indeed it was exteremely rainy in the afternoon several days that week. Not just rain but storms - and the storms closed the pool from like 4pm-9pm - which meant no swimming for our kids in the afternoon into the evening which was the time we'd planned to swim. We had to reschedule some park days and go swimming in the morning just to get the pool in.

I wouldn't wear sneakers if you think it might rain - get some good shoes that dry off fast - like Teva sandals.

You can still do the parks in the rain but some rides close if it is stormy. Park touring in the rain isn't bad actually but when you have little kids like we did that trip (my son was 20 months and couldn't yet stand due to some medical issues so was stroller bound) it was a bit of a long slog through the rain! We carried our ponchos every day. One day it looked like a terrible storm was coming while we were at the AK - then it just never happened. Even seeing those dark scary clouds doesn't even seem to be a good predictor

Like others said - you might get the 10min a day shower and you might get the 5 hour thunderstorm. Or maybe even a hurricane! I wouldn't worry about it - just plan for rain and you will be in good shape!

 

[Karnak]

The afternoon thunderstorm cycle, at least in our part of Florida, used to be the norm, but in recent years the daily rains have pretty much quit. For about the last three or four years the summer afternoon storms have been replaced with rains just about any time of the day it seems. And this year, we haven't had anywhere near the rain we normally experience.

Rainfall in Florida this year is way below average statewide, and fire danger is high in much of the state, including the Orlando area.

I would recommend that if it should rain while you are in a park, just go ahead with your plans. You may have to skip any attractions that aren't covered, but the majority of rides and shows at WDW are out of the rain.

Enjoy.

 

[bigbabyblues]

It rained nearly every day of our late August trip last year. It did feel good, because it was so hot otherwise! I bought a Mickey cap to wear because my hair gets stringy and nasty, and it covered my glasses, other than that, we just went with it!

 

[twinklebug]

Yup. We always vacation in August. There are a couple of ways to deal with them:

1. Ride something tall at around 2pm. Florida is totally flat: you can see a storm coming miles off. This should give you a good half hour ahead of everyone else to get back to the hotel pool for a swim before the stampede of people leaving the parks hits.

2. Book yourself a late lunch at around 3pm. We did this in MK at the Crystal Palace. Literally, as we were being seated, the whole storm kicked off. An hour later, when we were through, we had a half-empty park with glorious sunshine again.

3. Save all shopping etc. for this time, and any indoor shows like Philharmagic. Bring a poncho to run between them in.

Excellent advice!

I've visited Disney 3 times in the summer and every visit it rained in the afternoon, occasionally lasting all through the evening.

What I've learned: Even with a fine drizzle you'll get soaked to the bone. Bring or buy a poncho. Wear shoes that won't slip (inner and outer soles) around if they get soaked sneakers might be best, but have a change of socks ready. Relax & enjoy!

 

[Albertan mom]

So does the rain usually hit around 3:00 to 7:00?

Just trying to book our parasailing time, and want to avoid storm time!!

Thanks!