Thunderstorms the entire trip?

[Annadesu]

Just looked at the weather report for my trip in 12 days, and it's saying thunderstorms the entire time...

In Orlando, in May, do the thunderstorms typically last all day? Or is it just 1 hour of bad weather, and then it gets really hot again?

What rides will close during a thunderstorm?

Thanks in advance! (And yes, we have rain ponchos, lol)

 

[Robo]

Just looked at the weather report for my trip in 12 days, and

1. it's saying thunderstorms the entire time...

2. In Orlando, in May, do the thunderstorms typically last all day?

3. Or is it just 1 hour of bad weather, and then it gets really hot again?

1. Unlikely.
2. Unlikely.
3. Some can be all day. Most will not be, and most will not be at all parks, all day.

 

[Annadesu]

Er, unlikely it will last all day, or unlikely I am correct? lol I'm hoping the weather forecast is wrong, as well!

 

[JBeaty0507]

You'll almost always have Thunderstorms in the forecast. Don't worry! Generally they only last an hour or two (sometimes even less). We've only been there once when it's rained all day every day and that was during a Hurricane turned Tropical Storm. However, we have also never been there when it hasn't at least rained once at some point. We always bring some good rain jackets and just go for it. The rain helps clear things out a bit! Hardly any rides will actually close since most of them are indoors (they really knew what they were doing when they built this place). Your outside roller coasters are the biggies (Expedition Everest, Big Thunder Mountain). But just enjoy it and try not to fret over a stormy forecast! I always say that the weather in Orlando is always hot, muggy, with a chance of afternoon Thunderstorms.

 

[jerseygal]

Its been our experience that the Orlando forecast is for some strange reason "almost meaningless" that far out. We look at it maybe 2 days ahead of our trip for a "guide" knowing that it will probably change, but I have not found any reliability in the forecast there as we do for other areas. HOPE you have good weather!

 

[anniemae]

They can't really predict 12 days out with great accuracy. I think as we get into summer, there will always be rain/t-storms in the forecast. It does not mean it will rain all day, could be a quick storm or longer. They roll in and out. Sometimes it is even raining in one park but not another. No way to know. Just bring those ponchos and have fun.

 

[serenitynow]

Just remember to seek shelter when there is lightening.

 

[Acedink]

Been my experience if NOAA doesn't predict that far out (which they don't), then it's a wild guess.

 

[busymommy2pink]

Well our last May trip has thunderstorms in the forecast for the entire 10 day trip. It rained heavy and stormed for two hours, one day lol. As luck would have it, it was when we were at the resort for our break. Every other day luck was on our side I guess.

 

[Tuptup]

Look again 3 days out. If thunderstorms happen, they're more than likely going to happen in the afternoon and for a couple of hours. We have been there in July where it stormed so hard they shut rides down, but that was unusual for us. Just bring a poncho, check weather closer to the date, and get stuff done in the morning if it looks like rain But just try to remember that there's nothing you can do about the weather, and at the end of the day, you're still in WDW

 

[EVE700]

Just remember to seek shelter when there is lightening.

This.

Orlando weather predictions change daily. 12 days is way too far in advance to trust what it says. It can even change the day before, like one time I was there and the weather report said thunderstorms tomorrow, but the next day was clear. Just be prepared for rain and sun.

 

[acwsmom]

The good thing about rain is that it tends to send people out of the park. Every time we've been there and had afternoon showers/thunderstorms, we would take a break on an indoor ride or shop in the stores until it passed. Sure enough - a good chunk of the crowds had left! It was nice!

 

[BarbieGal457]

To piggyback on everyone else here, be prepared for both rain and shine but don't fret that it will rain all day every day! Even on our rainiest trips, it was maybe 1-2 hours a day and that was it. It was nice because it did clear the park out a bit and during that time we were able to eat and such.

A tip - if your family likes ponchos, bring them with you! On NYE 2014 we ended up having to buy ponchos and for the two of us spent close to $20 I think. This time we took cheapie $1 ponchos and disposed of them after each use, that way no worries about drying them out and no $20 down the drain!

 

[las3888]

My family is not a roll with the punches kind of family if it rains. The problem for us is not the rain but the lightning. I truly find rainy season in Florida very annoying (yet it doesn't stop us from going again and again)! Those clouds will start to roll in around noonish and then some of them start to get darker and darker and what's difficult is that it's very unpredictable. While some days I do find that a storm will come in and blow away pretty quickly, many days we find that once those dark clouds start to roll in, they stay all afternoon and all evening. What others say is true, that typically it won't rain ALL day. We have been down there during a tropical storm that would not move along so we had long dreary, rainy, drizzly day after another. It was such a bummer not to see that Florida sunshine. We got tired of doing the poncho thing after a few days of it. So you likely won't have to deal with that. Best advice if you are not a fan of being out in the rain is to make the most of your mornings!

 

[Anal Annie]

Just looked at the weather report for my trip in 12 days, and it's saying thunderstorms the entire time...

In Orlando, in May, do the thunderstorms typically last all day? Or is it just 1 hour of bad weather, and then it gets really hot again?

What rides will close during a thunderstorm?

Thanks in advance! (And yes, we have rain ponchos, lol)

We go to Disney 2 - 3 times / year and at various times. I also obsess over the weather forecasts before we go but they're NEVER accurate this far out. You'll really have to wait until the day or two before you go to know anything much. We always go prepared for rain. The problem with FL is that it does rain almost every day so ther percentages are always high - but that's not an indicator of whether it will be all day or just passing - usually the pop-up shorter variety are in the hotter summer months. What you'll want to watch for is if there are any large weather systems heading in from the west that may linger or cause an all-day rain event. Sadly, we HAVE had trips where it was rainy more often than not. Last summer on our July-August trip it poured on & off all day for at least 5 of our 10 days. But you spend too much money getting there and too much time planning to let it ruin your trip. You just have to bring some good ponchos & make due with it. You'll want to try to avoid wearing wet shoes tho for prolonged periods - your feet will be all pruny so have some open sandals where your feet aren't crammed in all day. We had 1 trip many years ago where our feet were so prunned up they stayed that way over night and never got over it!! But with any luck you'll only have the afternoon pop-up variety that won't ruin your whole day. (We usually find they hit right around the time we try to take a resort break to go to the pool ).

If it's not storming with thunder and / or lightening they don't really close any attractions. You can ride in the rain. If there is thunder & lightening they will close pretty much anything that's outside until it passes (BTMRR, Splash, 7D, Astro Orbiter etc. They monitor the weather closely (there are lightening rods EVERYWHERE on all the roofs) and I think they have to wait 30 minutes after the last reported hit just like they do at a swimming pool before they re-open.

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

I will say that now that are kids are older we don't mind thunderstorms. They don't last long and it truly empties the park. Last February break we had one in the evening and it emptied MK. After that our kids did 7DMT several times in a row - that never happens with that ride.

 

[hakepb]

The good thing about rain is that it tends to send people out of the park. Every time we've been there and had afternoon showers/thunderstorms, we would take a break on an indoor ride or shop in the stores until it passed. Sure enough - a good chunk of the crowds had left! It was nice!

In my past few trips, it seems that since guests paid so much for park tickets and since they still have FP+ and ADR's .... Most people stay through the rain anymore.

The only "empty" time anymore is after it raining most of the evening, guests stick around for Wishes then finally depart.

 

[TSR6]

It's Florida. It'll be beautiful all morning, storm for 30 minutes in the middle of the day, and be beautiful all afternoon.

It was sunny maybe 10 minutes before I took this video:

It was perfect all afternoon too. It's just a passing thunderstorm, no big deal. This was during our April trip.

 

[nilla]

Don't worry. The forecast will change 12 times between now and then. We go through this every year

FWIW, our May trips were generally VERY dry.

 

[DrivenByDisney]

It's Florida ... If you don't like the weather, stick around ... It'll change in 30 minutes.

Honestly, rarely do we get storm that last more than a few hours. Especially this time of year. In the summer, that' a different story.

Take this morning. It was storming, badly earlier today with lightning popping, the works. Now, it's just cloudy with a little chance of rain. The storms are usually moving across the state at a pretty good clip so they don't stick around too long.

And as others have already stated, since when can weather people get a 24 hours forecast correct ... Let alone 12 days from now.

As far as attraction closings for bad weather. Test Track will go down with lightning in the area. Same with Thunder and Splash Mountain. I've seen Indiana Jones go to a shorter version of the show if it is raining really bad. Tower of Terror may go down at times due to weather, but that's rare from what I have seen.