Rain the entire time at WDW?!?!?!?!

[alhurricane]

As a meteorologist, this has been an interesting thread to read.

In this day and age, a forecast that has an 80-90% rain chance 3-4 days out should not change all that much as the day in question draws closer. That's because with all the tools available, that 80-90% is showing that there is VERY high confidence of rain on that particular day. Be cautioned however, that does not mean it will rain all day or night. The other caution is that some weather sites/apps show forecasts based solely off computer models, which are MUCH more inconsistent and don't adhere to the confidence level I initially spoke about.

I encourage you to check out the local National Weather Service forecast since our tax payer dollars go to fund the forecasts and services provided by the NWS. For the Orlando area check out: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mlb

Enjoy your trip! Be prepared for the rain, but don't let it get you down. If it does rain, just dance around in it. After all, you are in Disney!

 

[ModernArtist]

As someone who used to live in central Florida, I can tell you that it absolutely does NOT rain every day from spring to fall. Why do people keep insisting that it does?

Short quick showers throughout the summer are common, yes, but you can also get stretches of no rain as well as days of constant downpours.....like pretty much anywhere else.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

We had a WDW vacation about the 3rd week of May several years ago. That particular week it rained buckets almost all day every day. We had to learn to just wade through the puddles and make the best of it, which actually turned out to be alright. I'm not going to lie though... by the end of that week I was worn out from having rain dumped on me all the time and was actually relieved when it was time to go home. I do think that was a record month of rain for central Florida, so I assume that this pattern of rain does not happen often

 

[KlutzyK8]

It does stink, but there's no way to control nor predict the weather, so just be prepared. Besides bringing ponchos and extra shoes, pack extra socks in your day bag- sometimes just changing into dry socks can make a world of difference. Also bring a plastic bag to store your raingear when you're able to take it off.

 

[RJstanis]

Late September last year it poured more than not. Luckily our MNSSHP was just a misting. Just embrace and prepare for the worst.

I took warning from threads on here and bought a bit more durable ponchos than the 99¢ throwaways. We got ours at Academy Sports and Outdoors (ala Dicks sporting goods) before we left. They were maybe $6-$8 and best investment. They had hoods with drawstrings so the water wouldn't pour in through the collar and kept us relatively dry and airy, and the best thing was we could reuse them the entire trip off and on off and on off and etc throughout the day. We had a stroller to lay ours out to dry but a bag people have mentioned is a good idea too. Also recommend not doing sneakers unless you like soggy shoes all day. Crocs or non slip flip flops/sandals seems to be the better route.

Also have freezer ziploc bags to keep cameras, phones, and or kids change of clothes in too to keep it all dry.

I'm not exaggerating when I say how much it rained when we were there but other than having flat hair and water spot clothes in some pictures, nobody in the FAM ever mentions the rain from the trip. Its all about your outlook and just rolling with it.

Enjoy your trip and remember its just water!

 

[auntyjenn]

It was supposed to rain 7 of 9 days of my trip. Predicted 60-80 % up to the day before I left. We didn't have a single drip!!!! It ended up being crazy hot instead (89. yikes!) ha ha. life.

 

[LuvMyEAR]

We have experienced the 10 - 15 min deluges on previous trips, but got darn neared drowned last Sept. It was a very different trip with 4 - 6 hours of heavy rain every day. Oh well, we were still on vacation! Most of my family wore ponchos but since the weather was in the 90s all the time, I felt like a boil-in-the-bag sack of noodles in a poncho. My umbrella was my best friend.

Unlike home, where rain tends to drive at us sideways, the Florida rain fell straight down. I stayed just as dry, or maybe more than the poncho-wearers. I'd say it is personal choice.

Unlike Universal, where the big coasters are outside, there are very few Disney attractions which have to be closed in the rain.

We have some pretty cool memories from that trip, and surprised our young travellers with Duffy bears wearing their own MM ponchos. It became a bit of a theme for the trip.

We did MNSSHP, too, and the skies opened up as we reached the gates. They cleared again as we finished our dinner, and we had a few hours before the rain was back. By that point, it became glorious rain. Skipping through the puddles, singing in the rain - you name it. It was the first chance we got to ride SDMT and ride we did! Shooting out into the pouring rain, time and time again, with a trainful of passengers who sang "Heigh-Ho!" with gusto was absolutely magical.

Funny thing, we rode SDMT on our last night, a beautiful starry evening, and something was missing...

 

[Katers]

Make sure you have ponchos and a good attitude. It rained on one of our trips for 7 days straight. We remember that trip as one of our best ever. Have fun!

 

[ConnieB]

Disney Ponchos are thick and sturdy......not to mention cute......are under $10 (at least they were a couple years ago when we bought them) and, the best part....if it tears, you just take it to any Disney store that sells them and they will replace them FREE, year after year. Just another option to consider.

 

[Minnesota!]

Embrace the weather, good or bad. You can't change it, so roll with it as best as you can enjoy!! We leave for wdw today and tbh I am looking forward to some thunderstorms... Rare around here lately! Love em.in Florida!

 

[DebbieB]

As someone who used to live in central Florida, I can tell you that it absolutely does NOT rain every day from spring to fall. Why do people keep insisting that it does?

Short quick showers throughout the summer are common, yes, but you can also get stretches of no rain as well as days of constant downpours.....like pretty much anywhere else.

I was wondering about that. I've gone many times in April or May and had very little rain.

 

[jo-jo]

We always take some cheaper (fits in pocket)and heavy duty (back pack) on every trip. But be we won't buy from dollar store anymore. We were out at the parks and it started to drizzle a little to heavy. Took out the cheaper ponchos and one was the size for a two yr old. My head remained very dry.

 

[MouseLover]

We had that weather last June. Not the typical every afternoon rain, but all day heavy rain with off and on lightning, every day! Very few breaks. Just take ponchos, extra shoes, & embrace it. If there is a particular night show you really want to see, try to get it in first weather cooperating night. Fantasmic was canceled a few times but we finally got to see it one time.

 

[RabFlmom]

About the only time you will get 90-100% of rain all day is if a tropical storm or hurricane is over the park. Don't sweat the forecasts. There was a newspaper in central Florida that used to say" Your paper is free if the sun doesn't shine here today" They rarely if ever had to give a paper away. BTW, there is plenty to do-even in the rain. We do not even bother with ponchos most of the time. We don't melt in the showers and it is cooler to go without during the sumer....Just don't wear white that is see through if it is wet.

 

[kaybird]

One of our best trips was during Tropical Storm Ernesto. We poncho-ed up, hit the nearly empty parks, and had a blast!!! There are SO many rides and attractions that are indoors, and most are a quick jaunt. As far as the afternoon storms, That is why I favor afternoon dining. We will often go in, eat, and come out to wet pavement, and shining sun. No better way to have a storm pass!

 

[DebbieB]

About the only time you will get 90-100% of rain all day is if a tropical storm or hurricane is over the park. Don't sweat the forecasts. There was a newspaper in central Florida that used to say" Your paper is free if the sun doesn't shine here today" They rarely if ever had to give a paper away. BTW, there is plenty to do-even in the rain. We do not even bother with ponchos most of the time. We don't melt in the showers and it is cooler to go without during the sumer....Just don't wear white that is see through if it is wet.

Not necessarily. I was there one day in early December and it rained hard for 24 hours straight, twice that week. No tropical storm, just a front that stalled.

 

[branfam]

My husband and I spent traveled to WDW, without kids, for our 25th anniversary 3 years ago. I'm a teacher and it was summer and honestly, I don't watch very much news in the summer. As the plane was landing in Orlando, it was raining and I overheard another passenger talking about Tropical Storm Debbie! =-O I hadn't heard about that and promptly looked it up on my phone. Tropical storm Debbie was indeed settling in to Orlando for several days. I was devastated. We had saved money for years for the trip and it was going to rain the entire time. In any case there was nothing to do but put on our ponchos, buy some umbrellas and go for it. It rained most of the day for all of the days of our trip but the last one. It was awesome. We look a little drowned in our pictures but crowd levels were lower than we had ever experienced. We heard cast members at AK talking about how dead the park was. It was AWESOME! Take a deep breath, relax and enjoy WDW. It's fun even if you are wet. Just take extra shoes....

 

[ThistleMae]

On my trip in 2013 it rained one whole day, the entire day, non-stop down pour. I just went about my day as usual. I had a flimsy rain pancho...not the best choice. It kept me dry when it was on but because it was covered with water, every time I put it on and took it off I would get wet. So get good rain gear. I had a pair of keen sandals, all terrain, they go anywhere in any kind of weather. I have to say, it was still lots of fun, but that was only one day...so I was lucky. And it's true, Epcot was great in the rain...lots to do, did longer meals...went on more inside rides. I actually went from HS to Epcot on the boat. It was fun to watch everyone running around in the rain. And it was warm, so I wasn't cold. You will hardly notice the rain, even when it does rain, afterall, you are in the most magical place on Earth!

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

We had a WDW vacation about the 3rd week of May several years ago. That particular week it rained buckets almost all day every day. We had to learn to just wade through the puddles and make the best of it, which actually turned out to be alright. I'm not going to lie though... by the end of that week I was worn out from having rain dumped on me all the time and was actually relieved when it was time to go home. I do think that was a record month of rain for central Florida, so I assume that this pattern of rain does not happen often

Hah, sounds like our experience. Wife and I went last year in late April/early May and the weather report leading up to the trip kept changing. When we finally got there we encountered downpours/continuous rain three out of the five days. We TRIED to spend some time at the parks on those days but when the rain is coming in sideways and you are soaking wet we didn't find it to be a ton of fun so spent more time at the resorts/bars.

 

[jade1]

Wonder how it went? Great I hope.

As usual it appears the 100% chance of rain today is partly cloudy and 80 right now.

I watched it all week, they would not back down on the 80% to 90% for yesterday and today (yesterday shows 100% for today). But as others noted-they seem to mean 90% it will rain some time that day.

I do think it rained yesterday, but far from a wash out, same today.

Have all the screen shots if interested.