How bad is August?

[disneymouse16]

What is your experience traveling to Florida in August? I am hoping to make a mother/daughter trip work sometime next year and I'm currently looking at August. Everything in my is screaming that will be way too hot! However, that may be the best time for us to go. I might can arrange for another time over the summer but would any summer trip really matter? What about crowds, would mid August possibly have lighter crowds?

 

[Disneydawg74]

Lived in Tampa for 40+ years. August is brutally hot in central Florida and often very rainy as well(which makes it hot and muggy afterwards). But, it’s often this way in July and September too. June is somewhat better.

 

[Mr_Woodchuck]

We always go in August because of work schedules, lower crowds, and cheaper prices. The first time it took a bit to get used to, but now we know how to deal with heat and love it! We go early at rope drop, plan on taking a midday break when it Thunderstorms (always happens 2-4 pm). Then go back for the evening and late nights.

 

[ShaneDJ]

Weather is horrible then. As mentioned above, it is brutally hot (and humid).

We will never go in August again. Last trip in August was miserable.

For us, travel to WDW in October to March is best.

 

[Disneylover99]

Our regular trips are in August. It’s super hot and we don’t like the heat, but somehow we’ve gotten used to it and it doesn’t bother us anymore.

Crowds aren’t too bad and the Halloween parties at the MK typically start mid August if that’s something you might be interested in.

 

[Justrose]

We always go in August because of work schedules, lower crowds, and cheaper prices. The first time it took a bit to get used to, but now we know how to deal with heat and love it! We go early at rope drop, plan on taking a midday break when it Thunderstorms (always happens 2-4 pm). Then go back for the evening and late nights.

This is what we do every August trip.

 

[PetePanMan]

Brutal heat and humidity with afternoon drenching storms. Some will say go to parks early, go back to resort in afternoon, and then return to parks in evening. Yes, this helps but it’s still not great IMO. If you can go another time, my advice is do it.

 

[scrappinginontario]

We visit every August and refer to it as melt-your-face-off hot weather. We're prepared and are fine. Just know IF you can both handle the heat, if you can't, I would choose October - June. Also, late August (2 weeks leading up to Labour Day) are lower crowds as many schools are back in session.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

We’ve been many times in August. I always say afterward, “Never again!”… but never say never! (Kinda hard to pass up a great deal!) As a pp mentioned, there are also a lot of thundershowers, as well, often in the late morning or afternoon, which isn’t too, too bad unless everything shuts down (even boats, rides, can be stores, etc.).

Today there are some things I’d bring that I didn’t have in the past, like a cooling hat (run it under water and put on head), a cooling towel (same as hat but for neck), even an umbrella meant to block the sun, etc. I’ve found that as I’ve aged it’s gotten harder and harder to regulate my internal temperature (and in fairness, I also have a medical condition and am on some meds that make it worse). So if you’re younger, it’s sometimes easier, though my daughter’s only in her late 20s and even she’s saying it’s harder now!

I’m talking days that are high 90s but “feel like” low 100s - brutal!

I remember one day making it about halfway around World Showcase when I just couldn’t tolerate it anymore, even after going in places to cool off. We booked it back to the resort and I stood under a waterfall in the pool for a half an hour before I really cooled down! Awful! YMMV!

 

[han22735]

We go every year in August and yes it's hot and yes we always have a lot of fun. Spend more time at the pool and chilling than all day park days.

 

[reddog21]

We always go in July/August, the heat would never stop us from going. It's fine and I would never hesitate to go during the summer.

 

[VGCgroupie]

It's very very hot. It makes it difficult to be as on your game and get things done. As much as I dislike the heat for me it's the rain that had the biggest impact during the summer.

 

[Genie+]

Humidity peaks in August so likely to be the most relentless, though comparing it to the rest of Orlando summer is like the difference between 20°F or 10°F. If you can handle one you can handle the other.

I like using weatherspark’s format for comparing my odds during different weeks and months.

https://weatherspark.com/y/17721/Average-Weather-in-Orlando-Florida-United-States-Year-Round

Scroll down to see everything. It has averages and the actual data of recent years.

As far as crowds summer has been trending down for years now. Plus the pattern of August getting relatively slower as the weeks go by still holds true. In a general sense you can expect (wdwprepschool):

 

[saraheliz]

Is it brutally hot? Yes.
Have we gone for four years in a row? Also yes.

Honestly there was only one year that was just beyond- 2023. It was hot even by Orlando standards and we did not see a drop of rain in our 8 days there until we were on the bus heading back to the airport. Pure sun and 100+. We basically realized we could not talk to each other while in the sun- only in shade or AC and then regroup and walk to the next shade or AC spot.
I stood in line for gelato in Italy in the sun for like 20 minutes and I swear I thought my life was ending.

But...we went back the next year. It takes patience, planning, and plenty of water and AC breaks but we've found it pretty manageable most of the time. If it's the choice between hot Disney or no Disney, or hot Disney or super crowded Disney, we pick hot Disney.

 

[Mr_Woodchuck]

If it's the choice between hot Disney or no Disney, or hot Disney or super crowded Disney, we pick hot Disney.

Same here! I would much rather choose Hot Disney over Crowded Disney (except NYE at Epcot, that was worth the crowds).

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

I went for a week last August and had a great time but we spent most of our time in pools and water parks and only went to the park once for a Halloween party. I wanna do it again!

 

[OKW Lover]

I live basically right next to the parks. Moved here ~12 years ago. August is indeed hot. It's also prone to daily afternoon thunderstorms. That's just what you get here from June to September.

 

[SheSingsAlong]

There is no hyperbole in discussions of the heat in August. You literally feel like you are standing in an oven with the sun cooking you from above and the pavement roasting you from below. If you are prepared, you can still enjoy yourself. Items I consider necessary: cooling towels, battery powered personal fan (one for each person), UV blocking umbrella. Don't plan on drinking alcohol, you will need nonstop water and sports drinks. Don't plan on big meals, it's too hot for that. Mid-day breaks are very smart, but be prepared for it to be in the 90s even after sunset. A good touring plan involves "island hopping" - hopping from one shady spot or air conditioned building to another. Plenty of people go to WDW in August and enjoy themselves, so it can be done with the right preparation and mindset!

 

[happily single]

We went in August. Walked from our hotel room to the bus stop about 9am and my shorts were soaked in sweat. It’s hotter than the surface of the sun

 

[Rohi]

What is your experience traveling to Florida in August? I am hoping to make a mother/daughter trip work sometime next year and I'm currently looking at August. Everything in my is screaming that will be way too hot! However, that may be the best time for us to go. I might can arrange for another time over the summer but would any summer trip really matter? What about crowds, would mid August possibly have lighter crowds?

Canadian here. We usually go in November or January, but in 2024 we went in August. OH MY WORD, IT WAS HOTTTTTT !!!

I've lived in Africa, and the heat in Florida is brutal compared to that. The extreme humidity was hard to bear the first day but we adjusted quickly.

It rained almost everyday which sounds like a bad thing, but it was a blessing in disguise. It cooled things down enough for us to enjoy the parks. In fact, we preferred going to the parks in the rains cos it made the weather bearable and the crowd level were low when it rained. Just have a solid poncho and you are set.

Another bonus in addition to low crowd levels was the cost - everything was much cheaper than any other time of year.

Bottom line: We were shocked by how brutally hot it was but I guess it wasn't so bad seeing as we are planning on going back this August.