Smoke Problems @ WDW?

[tjkref418]

I have seen a lot of recent articles about heavy smoke in the Central Florida area. Can anyone local report if this is having any effect at Disney, and if we should anticpate any problems with the ride from MCO. We arrive tomorrow at 10 AM. Thanks everyone for your help!

 

[WelshBatman]

It depends on the wind and weather. Tonight they pulled the Kissimmee evacuations and fully reopened the turnpike. You might see some smoke and it might be bad in some places but I wouldn't expect too bad. Like I said though, it depends on the weather and especially the wind. Before you leave check out the florida weather (on WESH.com or some other station).

 

[mkt]

AK was pretty nasty this morning

 

[hrcollectibles]

AK was pretty nasty this morning

Tha tcan't be good for the animals

 

[The Mom]

It changes hour by hour; I suspect that the same sort of thing is happening in Orlando.

6AM - slight smoke smell, but hardly noticable

7:15 - Very heavy smoke and quite smelly.

Noon - still heavy and smelly

4PM - no smoke in the air

Shuffle the times, and that's the way it's been for the past 2-3 weeks.

 

[mkt]

Tha tcan't be good for the animals

there's plenty of trees there to soak in the smoke

 

[PhotoDave219]

I have seen a lot of recent articles about heavy smoke in the Central Florida area. Can anyone local report if this is having any effect at Disney, and if we should anticpate any problems with the ride from MCO. We arrive tomorrow at 10 AM. Thanks everyone for your help!

Okay... I live 10 miles north of MK. Weather here is usually same at MK.

Today... winds in the morning were out of the north. Smoke was horrifficaly nasty until around 11ish, when the winds shifted to out of the west, as with this approaching storm. Winds have seemed to have shifted back to the North or Northwest and smoke is clearly visible in the area.

It sucks. More than likely it will affect you on the ground but shouldn't affect your flight.

There are major fires everywhere - The Florida-Georgia line (north), Alachua County/Gainesville (north), Wekiva River (northeast) - That smoke went southwest and smack dab down to Disney and Four Corners 2 days ago - Flagler/Volusia line (east), Polk (southwest), and on and on and on.

Here's a static map of the fires that DOF is currently working.

 

[PhotoDave219]

there's plenty of trees there to soak in the smoke

.....Like that will help. :eyeroll :frolic: .... I was on that Wekiva River fireline yesterday. Nothing helps. Smells like smoke no matter what you do. Best you can do is try and avoid being in it.

 

[sillyspook13]

AK was pretty nasty this morning

On Monday it looked like it was snowing at AK.

 

[Rob562]

Well, if the fires aren't under control in 3 weeks, I guess my visit will be like my last trip to Disneyland in '03... There were large wildfires all over Southern California, and there was definitely smoke and/or smokey smell depending on which way the wind was blowing. When I was visiting Six Flags Magic Mountain, could even see one of the smaller fires off in the distance as I rode up one of the coaster's lifthills.

That trip was also my first experience with an aborted landing. As my flight was approaching LAX, we dipped into what looked like the cloud-cover, but the clouds were brown. The smell from the smoke started coming inside the plane, and the flight attendants had to come around to assure everyone that the smell was the wildfire smoke and *not* the plane. As we descended lower, the captain decided visibility was nil, so he powered up and circled around. We approached from a different direction and were able to land fine the second try. Though my parents' flight into LAX (or maybe it was John Wayne airport) the next day was outright cancelled because of the smoke.

-Rob

 

[Surf Fish2285]

Well, if the fires aren't under control in 3 weeks, I guess my visit will be like my last trip to Disneyland in '03... There were large wildfires all over Southern California, and there was definitely smoke and/or smokey smell depending on which way the wind was blowing. When I was visiting Six Flags Magic Mountain, could even see one of the smaller fires off in the distance as I rode up one of the coaster's lifthills.

That trip was also my first experience with an aborted landing. As my flight was approaching LAX, we dipped into what looked like the cloud-cover, but the clouds were brown. The smell from the smoke started coming inside the plane, and the flight attendants had to come around to assure everyone that the smell was the wildfire smoke and *not* the plane. As we descended lower, the captain decided visibility was nil, so he powered up and circled around. We approached from a different direction and were able to land fine the second try. Though my parents' flight into LAX (or maybe it was John Wayne airport) the next day was outright cancelled because of the smoke.

-Rob

LOL I remember those fires...I lived and still do less them 500 yards from the biggest one! Arg, im glad that hasn't happened again!

 

[lpet11984]

For those of you who live in FL, are these sorts of fires common? I don't ever recall hearing about these before now.

 

[hack2112]

For those of you who live in FL, are these sorts of fires common? I don't ever recall hearing about these before now.

Actually, the only place free of fires is in South Florida. The Tropical Sub-Storm Andrea is moving all of the smoke south. My allergies are horrible. I can't step out of the house without coughing a storm, and I still do inside. I live in South Florida and it's really bad here. I can't imagine what it's like in Orlando! In conclusion (I'm getting formal now), no, these fires are not normal, Florida is usually a place with a lot of rain. Which isn't happening now. Because we're in a drought. And palm Beach and Broward county are going into phase 3 water restrictions. Not fun in the Florida sun at all...

 

[MaXXimus]

Sheesh, Im really gonna be reliving my trip from 9 yrs ago then when I go in June... there was a nasty smoke smell as well as you could see the smoke haze. It was a lot worse in the morning though, till about 11AM or so.

 

[The Mom]

Actually, the only place free of fires is in South Florida. The Tropical Sub-Storm Andrea is moving all of the smoke south. My allergies are horrible. I can't step out of the house without coughing a storm, and I still do inside. I live in South Florida and it's really bad here. I can't imagine what it's like in Orlando! In conclusion (I'm getting formal now), no, these fires are not normal, Florida is usually a place with a lot of rain. Which isn't happening now. Because we're in a drought. And palm Beach and Broward county are going into phase 3 water restrictions. Not fun in the Florida sun at all...

A quick search shows that FL has had a cyclical history of forest fires, and has had many WORSE fires in the past (look up 1935) The major difference is that there weren't as many people affected by them, so they didn't make the news...unless they spread into a populated area.

Ironically, human attempts to control forest fires may be contributing to the frequency of these smaller, but more dangerous (in terms of life and property loss) as naturally occuring fires burn off the excess brush that becomes MUCH more dangerous in drought conditions.

So, it's not that there are any more fires, it's just that there are more people who are affected by them.

There were some, as mentioned, in 1998, and also in the mid 80s. Prior to WDW, the Orlando area was mostly farms and orange groves, where the farmers would do controlled burns to keep the brush down.

 

[joel_maxwell]

A quick search shows that FL has had a cyclical history of forest fires, and has had many WORSE fires in the past (look up 1935) The major difference is that there weren't as many people affected by them, so they didn't make the news...unless they spread into a populated area.

Ironically, human attempts to control forest fires may be contributing to the frequency of these smaller, but more dangerous (in terms of life and property loss) as naturally occuring fires burn off the excess brush that becomes MUCH more dangerous in drought conditions.

So, it's not that there are any more fires, it's just that there are more people who are affected by them.

There were some, as mentioned, in 1998, and also in the mid 80s. Prior to WDW, the Orlando area was mostly farms and orange groves, where the farmers would do controlled burns to keep the brush down.

lets assume that ive been under a rock for a few days or stuck in my cubie at work... is there a major fire sweeping across orlando area or is it a burn back type thing. i havent been watching or reading the news or smoke smell threads.

 

[PhotoDave219]

For those of you who live in FL, are these sorts of fires common? I don't ever recall hearing about these before now.

The last bad fire season was nine years ago in 1998 which blackened the i-4 corridor. Its typically not this bad.... and this season hasn't been as bad as that season. If i remember, '98 was like California fires bad. Cali fires still are worse.

 

[PhotoDave219]

lets assume that ive been under a rock for a few days or stuck in my cubie at work... is there a major fire sweeping across orlando area or is it a burn back type thing. i havent been watching or reading the news or smoke smell threads.

The fires are all 40+ miles away from WDW. The wind is blowing a crapload of smoke from several major fires north and east of here into the Orlando area.

 

[Alexx]

Will this smoke be gone by June do you reckon?

 

[Champion]

Will this smoke be gone by June do you reckon?

More than likely, yes. Depends on how much rain, though.