Is this just an assumption that the Gondola's will stop during a lightning storm? Cause from my limited knowledge of the situation, a well grounded situation (lightning rods, etc.) you are much safer in the Gondola moving along then standing on wet pavement waiting for a bus. Besides... as stated by many, Disney is in need of a really good thrill ride.
At the moment yes. I hope it will be hidden well enough.
Firm believer in "hot, humid air in, hotter, humid air out."
It’s pointless to argue about it.
I think it was originally supposed to be a subway system but somebody had the plans upside down.
Oh good.. I guess. I feared you were hinting Tower of Terror was going to get a that hidious GotG makeover.
I am pretty sure many pages back Liftblog confirmed that while the system may technically be safe during a lightning storm the manufacturer does not suggest they are used during lightning storms. It is highly unlikely Disney takes that risk. They will also shut down for high winds. Again, the limitation of the system itself may be higher than guest comfort level so Disney will likely shut them down well prior to winds exceeding the thresholds for the system.
OK, it will be interesting to see what actually happens in real life. Storms in Florida are usually very intense, but, quick. Perhaps when one of those cells runs through nothing is going to move anyway. It's hard to drive a bus safely through a torrential rain.
I know at least some of the boats also shut down for lightning. Maybe not the big ferry at MK but the smaller boats like the ones that take you to Disney Springs.
Nah, can’t have thunder without lightning. I’m no meteorologist but I’m pretty sure they are connected
. It is possible to see lightning but not hear the thunder (heat lightning) but I think that’s generally because you are too far away to hear it. I think I read somewhere that in a flat area you can see lightning up to 100 miles away (especially at night). Thunder doesn’t travel that far. To bring it all around to the gondolas I don’t think they will suspend service for heat lightning. They will probably wait until the storm is within a certain range of miles with active strikes and then shut it down.
That's a good point thinking about when thunderstorms are most common. It got me wondering in what circumstances people would be most commonly heading to or from a park during a thunderstorm. I'm guessing that there wouldn't be a *lot* of people headed to the park during a thunderstorm and that a few buses could take care of that demand. I wonder if the biggest demand is when a thunderstorm spins up while people are at the park and people decide to bail out. If they anticipate the gondola being shut down for a significant amount of time buses are a fine alternative in this situation. I wonder about what they'd do about the International Gateway, though, since there isn't a convenient bus stop near there. I guess they could schedule service from one of the nearby resorts.
My limited experience is that crowds tend to hide in buildings until the storm passes. Having been a bus driver (not Disney) I know that driving in heavy rain is very dangerous, probably more dangerous then lightning in the likelihood of it affecting people. If there are buses out there during one of those heavy tropical downpours, my guess is that they don't move very far or very fast until the storms are over. That goes for all types of transportation, Bus, boat, train, tram or Gondola. Once the heavy part of the storm is over, many people move toward a place to get dry clothing because a Florida cloudburst is not something that one can run away from. If you take two steps in the open during one of those you are going to be as wet as you can possibly ever be.
Thunder is created due to the electrical charge being released. Thunder is the result of lightning. You see the flash and hear the sound later due to the fact that light travels faster then sound. The less time between the flash and the sound indicates that the actual storm is closer to you. You might not hear the thunder at all if the lightning is far enough away that the sound dissipates into the atmosphere, but, it's is like the old song... Love and Marriage... You can't have one without the other. If you hear thunder you can rest assured that lightning was present. So called heat lightning is just regular lightning that didn't head toward the earth, but instead went horizontal without making contact with the ground. However, it is exactly the same thing and is usually created when a cold front meets a warm front and they "mingle".Nah, can’t have thunder without lightning. I’m no meteorologist but I’m pretty sure they are connected
