Wind advisory and Illuminations

[bigmac5]

There is currently a wind advisory here and we are going to Epcot this afternoon...just wondering at what point do they not have Illuminations.

 

[BrianL]

They will not make that call until very close to showtime, since the winds could die down at any time. They will start making announcements before showtime warning that the weather could impact the show. I do not think Illuminations is likely to be cancelled due to wind, however they may have to clear areas close to the water (notably the area on the Future World side of World Showcase) due to falling ash.

 

[bigmac5]

Thank you.

 

[BrianL]

Thank you.

Also, just FYI, there is a possibility of a delay if they think the weather will calm down. The announcements will reflect this as well, but don't expect to hear anything until an hour or less before showtime. They may try for a delay but end up cancelling as well. It can be frustrating, because you basically have to claim your spot as if everything were normal, but then anything could happen.

 

[disnut8]

I've been to Epcot in the day before a hurricane hit (24 hour lock down) and Illuminations was still done the night before. It would take a huge wind storm to cancel Illuminations. I've watched it in rain and winds and in snow once.

 

[Accident]

They could decide earlier.. by law they must fire them off after loaded so if the gusts to 40mph with sustained 20-30 happens, I can see fireworks not even getting loaded if that is expected to continue past park close. they have had to launch them in the middle of night (actually after the last guest is gone and the gate is officially closed) so it's spending money with nobody viewing.

 

[cigar95]

I have had CMs tell me that the number of times the show has been cancelled over the years can be counted without removing your shoes. That suggests it will run in pretty severe conditions.

 

[WEDWDW]

I have had CMs tell me that the number of times the show has been cancelled over the years can be counted without removing your shoes. That suggests it will run in pretty severe conditions.

Absolutely true.

I watchedit in a DRIVING rainstorm with CONSTANT lightning once-one of my most memorable WDW experiences-AMAZING!

The storm felt like "part" of ROE!!!!

 

[Accident]

I wonder what the wind rating for illuminations actually is..

Disney has pushed the limts in the past though:

 

[cigar95]

I watchedit in a DRIVING rainstorm with CONSTANT lightning once-one of my most memorable WDW experiences-AMAZING!

The storm felt like "part" of ROE!!!!

Oh yeah. We watched from the tiered area near France about ten years ago, back when that was open to the public. There was a storm off to the east, though all was calm at Epcot. And there were two or three dramatic lightning strikes that were perfectly in sync with the show. A great memory.
(That might have been the same night we learned about how few cancellations there had been, since the storm gave us some concern.)

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

Even if Illuminations goes off tonight, mind your location around the lagoon. If it's windy, the last place you'll want to be is downwind, because the fireworks are copious and smokey. You'll want to figure the wind direction before choosing your location.

 

[Dr.Mickey]

Even if Illuminations goes off tonight, mind your location around the lagoon. If it's windy, the last place you'll want to be is downwind, because the fireworks are copious and smokey. You'll want to figure the wind direction before choosing your location.

Can't stress avoiding the down-wind side enough. We do this on regular days at Epcot, but most definitely on a wind advisory day.

 

[cakebaker]

Can't stress avoiding the down-wind side enough. We do this on regular days at Epcot, but most definitely on a wind advisory day.

When we watched last week, we made the mistake of not being in the right spot. It had been raining, not terribly windy but the air was heavy and fireworks weren't going nearly as high as they usually do. My daughter's new jacket she had just bought was ruined by ash and she got a lot of ash in her eyes. We spent an hour at first aid getting her eyes washed out. Disney replaced the jacket for us, but it was not fun! It's the first time in dozens of trips to WDW that this happened to us.

 

[bigmac5]

Thank you everyone. Illuminations went off and were beautiful. We were able to get a FP a couple hours before Illuminations and had a wonderful spot. It was very windy around 6pm but did calm down. I guess I worried about nothing

 

[bryanb]

Even if Illuminations goes off tonight, mind your location around the lagoon. If it's windy, the last place you'll want to be is downwind, because the fireworks are copious and smokey. You'll want to figure the wind direction before choosing your location.

I unknowingly got burned from the fallout from Illuminations. We were standing right next to one of the fireworks cannons on the water's edge. I felt the hot ash against my face and quickly wiped it away with my hand. The wind had blown right against the stunned crowd, and I heard a few gasps and a man say, "it's okay, I'm okay."

It wasn't until I went to the Boardwalk that I realized both of my arms were covered in dozens of patches of ash too, and wiping it away, under each piece of ash was a burn mark. I still didn't think it was a big deal, so I never reported it, but those marks didn't go away for a whole week. I'm just glad I had wiped my face quickly.

So now, I take note of where the fireworks cannons are and don't situate near them. I wasn't really upset, it was a very rare problem. But guests might want to take note when it's windy. I kept thinking I wanted to let Disney know, and maybe I should've.

 

[cakebaker]

Duplicate

 

[cakebaker]

I unknowingly got burned from the fallout from Illuminations. We were standing right next to one of the fireworks cannons on the water's edge.

That's exactly where we were too. In all our times to see Illuminations, we had never been close to an area where the cannons shoot out on the water's edge. They're fully aware of the issue. When we took her to first aid, they said it was a common occurrence. Same thing at guest services. But we sure won't make that mistake again!