What to wear in February?

[4leobeans]

Hi everyone!

We have a week long trip booked in early February, and I'm unsure what the kids'll wear.....

I have read comments on various sites, as well as historical weather. Really though, I'm interested in a Canadian perspective. Do you wear shorts there just because compared to home, it's summer?!

I know we'll need a jacket, and long pants, but can our girls wear dresses and tees most days?

Thanks for your input!

 

[holidaygirl]

We have been to WDW many times in Feb and it gets cold as soon as the sun goes down. Mini mitt's for me and the kids, my husband who is extremely warm blooded may put on a wind breaker with his shorts and tee's. Our family would go in shorts (capri's for me) and tee's but pack wind jackets and mini mitts, as they are small and lightweight and easy to carry in a backpack. We have also purchased a few sweatshirts in the parks because it got colder than we thought! The boys and my husband went swimming on every trip (during the day of course) and you would hear people mention that we must be from Canada

 

[FiggieFan]

It pretty much can do anything. Last year in February, the first day we arrived didn't get out of the 40's which was well below the actual forecast. The rest of the trip was in the low to mid 80's. We went on the Rapids Ride at Animal Kingdom and walked around soaked and it was fine. The average temp in February is about 73. I agree with the previous post that it does get cold fast when the sun goes down. Most days were in the 50's to start. I would just keep an eye on the forecast before you leave. Hopefully we will have another year of great February weather.

 

[Sunseeker2012]

It pretty much can do anything. Last year in February, the first day we arrived didn't get out of the 40's which was well below the actual forecast. The rest of the trip was in the low to mid 80's. We went on the Rapids Ride at Animal Kingdom and walked around soaked and it was fine. The average temp in February is about 73. I agree with the previous post that it does get cold fast when the sun goes down. Most days were in the 50's to start. I would just keep an eye on the forecast before you leave. Hopefully we will have another year of great February weather.

We were in Tampa the first week in January and we were able to wear shorts, tanks during the day however the nights did get cooler. Taxi driver told us that we were lucky with the weather as they were calling for much cooler the very next week.

 

[Sue M]

I go lat Jan lots, and we always pack for both warm and cold weather. Mid day can be quite warm, upper 70s. Mornings and evenings are chilly.
Sometimes cold snaps come in. I'd watch the long range forecasts starting 10 days before trip.
So pack the bathing suits and warm stuff too!
We pack capris and tees, shortsleeve and long, jeans, hoodies, things you can layer.

 

[doug74]

We came back last Feb from the Carribean through Miami and were forced to overnight, and it was hot and humid at 11pm at night!

So I wasn't planning on packing anything warmer than a shell jacket each when we go in Jan '13.. But given what I'm reading here, it looks like I should play it safe.. My wife gets cold very easily, but my boys and I don't..

 

[pigletto]

The short answer is be prepared for anything and check weather just before you go. I asked the same question before our February trip. It turned out to be about 75 during the day and high 50's to low 60's in the evenings. On the days it rained (and one day it poured alllll day) we would have been miserable without light pants and rain jackets.. it got very cool. Other days were great for the pool, but evenings weren't.
I also saw others who went just after us saying it was freezing and they wore mitts and hats and sweaters.
I found we needed to pack much more "just in case" for our February trip than any other trip we've been on.

Incidentally, on our first night it was cool, but not too bad, and I had to go buy a 60 dollar hooded sweatshirt in Downtown Disney because dd came down with a fever and was freezing. She ended up having strep throat and we had to go to a clinic. Just a tip, tie a sweatshirt around your waist if going out for the evening. You don't want to have to buy one at full price because it's in the room

 

[dsneygirl]

We have been to WDW many times in Feb and it gets cold as soon as the sun goes down. Mini mitt's for me and the kids, my husband who is extremely warm blooded may put on a wind breaker with his shorts and tee's. Our family would go in shorts (capri's for me) and tee's but pack wind jackets and mini mitts, as they are small and lightweight and easy to carry in a backpack. We have also purchased a few sweatshirts in the parks because it got colder than we thought! The boys and my husband went swimming on every trip (during the day of course) and you would hear people mention that we must be from Canada

I agree we have been several times in Feb and the days can be nice (maybe shorts) but the evenings can be quite cool. I would not count on shorts and tees every day. I would layer and be prepared. Nothing worse than being at the parks at night and freezing.

 

[mtmbyck]

Way too soon to predict. Some years are very cold and some Very hot and some a mix of both. But you rarely have a hot evening. So pray for warm but pack according to the forecast and if you see 50s or lower, mittens and hats and coats are a good idea! Fantasmic is VERY chilly to watch when it's 50!

 

[Glennie5]

We have been early Feb. and had a real mixed bag of weather. There were days that we were all in shorts and t-shirts but a couple of days were quite cold. I would keep checking the weather closer to your trip but agree with those who told you to pack the light gloves, you may very well be wearing them in the mornings and evenings.

 

[fitmom3]

We went in Feb two years ago. It was in the low 60's for the first day. I remember wearing capri pants and a sweater ...it got warmer by the end of the week. We were never sweating or in tank tops. It was the perfect weather to walk around the parks. Have fun!

 

[clickTHEMOUSE]

Check the weather daily.... when we went in Feb, it was 70'sF during the day and 60's at night...that was cool. Needed a sweather at night, but swam all day!

 

[redrosesix]

We have done 5 trips in February and every time we've had a variety of temperatures. We usually layer our clothes for the flight out, including a down vest, sweater and turtleneck and have worn all of those at some point. That being said, we've also had weather warm enough to enjoy the water parks. I always tell my husband that's why we have so much luggage -- you have to prepare for any type of weather

I usually get away with shorts during the day, but long pants and a jacket after dark (with flip flops)

 

[butterflies114]

I was miserable for 2 days last Feb when we were in Orlando. The only day we left WDW was the day we decided to do Kennedy Space Centre and it was 0 degrees without the wind chill . We didn't bring our winter jackets so the kids had to wear 2 sweaters and 2 pairs of pants all day.

The year before it was in the 90's a few days when we were there. Most of the time it hovered in the 70's during the day 60 - 50 at night.

 

[heather4Disney]

When I lived in Tampa I found those zip up polar fleece jackets were great. They are not bulky but pack some great warmth. The long sleeve work with the jacket. We are going in January and I'm trying to figure out the same thing as you.

 

[Sillyminny40]

In Jan or Feb we usually started out with warm layers and hats/mini mitts which can be put in the stroller or a locker. If you land at WDW with little to keep you warm, those .99 mitts can be $9 a pair! Egads. It's like umbrellas and ponchos on a rainy day in a theme park.

 

[katiegirl]

We're also going in early Feb. and flying for the first time!This may seem like a silly question but what do people do with all of their winter gear (heavy coats, boots etc.) Do we just leave them in the car and make the dash to the airport or do we drag them along with us? I was planning on taking our fall jackets with us for the likelyhood of needing them at nightime at least but I hope we won't need our heavy winter coats while we're there!! Any ideas would be much appreciated!

 

[SplashMom]

We have gone the past two Februarys and the weather was perfect both times. I was quite concerned about it being cool but both years we wore shorts and tshirts the entire time, including the evenings. One evening last year my daughter and I wore sweatshirts but my DH and DS just had tshirts on and had no problems. We even went to the beach--St. Pete's and we were swimming! The weather was in the low 80s, which we find wonderful although there were very few others swimming in the ocean lol. We have gone in March several times and it was a bit cooler than our February trips so I guess it really depends on the year. The week before we arrived last year was quite cool but it warmed up for us!

 

[Canooknic]

We are going Feb 6 and are planning on jeans & t-shirts. We will have hoodies and raincoats just incase but are a very warm-blooded family so should be ok!!

Our plan is for hubby to drop me & kids at the drop-off point with luggage and then go and park the car (and run to the terminal in his hoodie!!), then we'll do the same in reverse when we get back

 

[Fabooliss]

We're also going in early Feb. and flying for the first time!This may seem like a silly question but what do people do with all of their winter gear (heavy coats, boots etc.) Do we just leave them in the car and make the dash to the airport or do we drag them along with us? I was planning on taking our fall jackets with us for the likelyhood of needing them at nightime at least but I hope we won't need our heavy winter coats while we're there!! Any ideas would be much appreciated!

We wear our fall coats, warm sweaters and running shoes.
Depending on the weather, we either leave boots and hats in the car, or don't wear them at all... but we do keep (lighter) gloves in our pockets to take with us. You shouldn't need winter coats, but we did need our fall coats both times we've been in early Feb. Best tip, bring blankets and leave them in the car... you can huddle under them when you first get in... also... unless you are parking in a covered garage... make sure you bring a shovel (and good boots) to dig the car out, especially if you are flying out of Buffalo!!! Both times we've missed BIG snowstorms... but it meant we had to dig out before we could get to the car (they plow the lots, but of course, that means you have a snowdrift behind your car!)