Do they ever close anything because of weather?

[PurplePizza1]

I'm planning on staying in the parks, rain or shine, and am bringing ponchos to ensure we can. However, if there is a thunderstorm, do the rides shut down? Where does everybody go when thunder and lightning fire up? I know how these tropical areas can be with pop-up thunderstorms, so I know they'll most likely fire up, explode, and move on.

If it's just raining, everything stays up and running?

If there's lightning, everything closes? Do they close the park or just stop the rides?

 

[WDW Monorail]

Outdoor attractions and shows may be closed temporarily or delayed.

 

[ImagineerDude]

There are plenty of indoor attractions to enjoy during those afternoon storms. But outdoor attractions may close during the storm and entertainment is usually cancelled.

 

[Zweiland]

I've experienced Splash Mountain closing because of weather. Sadly, I was already in line and I waited an extra 30 minutes when I could have gone to another attraction.

I believe Test Track is the ride that closes most frequently on account of thunderstorms, due to the speed (65 mph) of the outdoor track portion.

 

[RonAnnArbor]

They sure do! Last weekend on Saturday, almost everything in Magic Kingdom was closed for several hours, even many indoor attractions -- though most of the indoor attractions were available (it rained so hard there was flooding everywhere including some rain damage indoors)...there is another thread with this information in it, with a complete list of everything that remained open (about 4 things)...while every single outdoor attraction (including transportation rides like the train and TTA) were all closed. Park was virtually deserted as people headed back to their resorts, and all evening shows were cancelled.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

If the weather is severe enough, they will close everything. For example, I was down during Hurricane Charlie and all of the parks closed. There may be severe weather that warrants closing the parks.

As far as rides go, if there is rain, but no lightning, many outdoor attractions will remain open. I have ridden Splash Mountain in the rain. If the rain gets too hard, lightning starts, or conditions become unsafe in any other way, the ride will close. Fantasmic and Fireworks will get cancelled if wind conditions make it unsafe.

As far as waterparks go, they will close if there is lightning within a certain radius. They will also close if it's too cold (because why bother?)

Indoor attractions will remain open during a storm. You may feel free to use them and continue enjoying the park. However, use your head. If you see an insane amount of lightning or anything else that makes you feel unsafe, find shelter.

Shelter may be taken while riding rides. I got on Star Tours five times in a row during a bad storm.

 

[tare]

If there are lightning strikes within a 5 mile radius(5miles I think) any outside attractions are suspended.