Weather. Advice please.

[mickeyfan1]

My family and I will be in the world soon. September 15th thru September 22nd. Right now accuweather is showing rain and thunderstorms everyday we are at Disney. Should we expect issues? Or am I worrying to much?

 

[mousehockey37]

I would say that you are worrying too much. DGF and I were down the 20th-25th (little over a week ago). The forecast was looking like doom and gloom with exactly what you are saying. It's just typical Florida weather that at some point during the afternoon/early evening there will be a storm that will pop up and last for a short amount of time.

There are 2 ways to look at this... You can run to the resort and recover or you can head FOR the parks with ponchos in hand hit up the rides. We happened to have a couple evenings where we went to the parks while it was winding down raining and we hit up a good amount of rides in a short amount of time, and then the skies cleared up and it was a great night. The one night we had a semi-washout at Epcot, but it was EMH and due to rain it was extra empty. The rain was start and stop, and it left me with getting AWESOME pictures of pavilions.

To kinda sum things up, pack for weather, but don't fuss over it. If you have a plan for what you want to do in the event of weather, then you'll be just fine. Like I said, DGF and I took breaks during the early afternoon and around 4 or 5 we headed back, regardless of the weather. We always had our ponchos in a backpack pouch or my camera bag.... just in case.

Just remember, you can't control what the weather does, but you can control what you do in it!!!

 

[bethymouse]

Better to have a rainy day at Disney than a sunny day at work!
No worries. Hakuna Matata.

 

[luv]

There might be a little or a lot of rain. There might be none. Hard to predict.

Walking around parks in the rain is fine, if it floats your boat. Walking around in thunderstorms is dumb. We have lots of cloud to ground lightening here. Disney has many lightening rods, but still...it's dumb.

It will likely be hot.

 

[Master Yoda]

First and foremost, any weather forecast in Florida past about 3-4 days is an absolute shot in the dark. Thunder storms around this time of year are pretty common but also pretty quick. The only time you tend to see long term is during a tropical storm or hurricane, neither of which are common or expected in the next couple of weeks. I would check the weather the day before you leave and plan accordingly.

 

[DisneyAubs]

Yes, Florida weather is so unpredictable. It feels like the weather forecasters just always throw in a 30% chance of rain just in case. LOL. My last trip was in late September. Rain was predicted every day, but we never saw a drop. It was bright and sunny. I've also been where there was a quick afternoon shower every day. We are in the camp of people that just throw on ponchos and keep on trucking. Some of my funniest memories are from getting stuck in the rain!

If you DO have a rainy day I would advise against spending it at DisneyQuest or Innoventions in Epcot. Those seem to be evryone's "in case of rain" backup plan. As a result everyone swarms to these places!!! It gets crazy.

 

[SnowFire]

We love going to the parks when it rains (as long as there's no lightening). Lots of people seem to clear out of the parks during a storm and the lines get shorter. As has been said before, the storms usually don't last for long. We often carry ponchos, but we also have the attitude of "It's just water - we'll dry."

This past trip, it started raining just as ROE started. There was no lightening so we were able to stay for the whole show. We ended up absolutely soaked but still had an awesome time.

One suggestion I would make is to carry a ziploc bag for anything that must not get wet (electronics, wallet, etc.) If it rains, just put the stuff you want to stay dry in the bag, zip it up, and put the whole thing back in your pocket. This works great for wet rides also.

 

[Pooh Lover]

Those are our exact days at WDW too. If you look at any given week for that area, they will show rain for just about every day. We go the same week every year and have only had one year where we needed our ponchos more than once. Normally, you will come out of an attraction and see wet pavement around 3:00 pm and that will be it for the day. Don't worry too much about the forecast.

 

[CrazyDisneyLady]

We are there the same days as you...go to the dollar store buy a few ponchos, we just throw them on and keep moving. The rain usually doesn't last long. It is actually really fun. Last year I took some amazing pictures during a massive down pour at DHS with all the different poncho colors.

 

[UPbeekeeper]

Just remember, you can't control what the weather does, but you can control what you do in it!!!

Love this!

 

[Nero the dog]

We have just got back and were there last Monday when hurricane Isaac passed by. It absolutely tipped it down on the morning but by mid afternoon had stopped. So we went to MK, I guess most people had written the day off as the park was deserted, every ride was walk on.
Every other day thunderstorms were predicted we saw some, but certainly not everyday. It rains for a short while (can be very very heavy) but within half an hour you would never know it had happened.

 

[disneygirl76]

My family and I will be in the world soon. September 15th thru September 22nd. Right now accuweather is showing rain and thunderstorms everyday we are at Disney. Should we expect issues? Or am I worrying to much?

We would all love the forecast that says sunny the entire trip but with Orlando - its just not practical. Florida is known for those thunderstorms that roll in for a bit, pour down, and then pass on through. It rains for a bit, then bright and sunny, like it never happened! Really, don't worry too much. Plus, 10 days out a lot can change.

 

[dopeylover]

Our Honeymoon was in October, and it rained a little bit, but really hard, every day. The first day of our trip was rain drenched, but we grabbed the ponchos and went to MK, and had a great time. By late afternoon it was clearing up, and we had an even better night! Daily downpours are pretty common down there, and as long as you're prepared for that, I wouldn't worry. My only suggestion is to de-layer before you put that poncho on! It's like being a walking greenhouse, I was sweating my dupa off! Have a great time!

 

[jharvey]

Dang it. I am there the same week. Forecast are a little spotty more than a week out, so maybe not..... Or is that wishful thinking?

 

[ThinkTink721]

Don't worry...we are on our way home now...stayed all last week & it only rained off & on, mainly 2 days.
Sometimes the rain will cool things off a little!

 

[luv]

We need a weather sticky on this board.

Rain predictions are like snow predictions. You cannot rely on the predictions they make four days out. They frequently get it wrong hours before.

Orlando is a subtropical/tropical climate. That means we have rainy season. And during rainy season, it rains. A lot. Although it might rain for ten minutes and stop, it might also rain for three or four hours. On rare occasions, it rains all day. When there is a tropical storm (not like Isaac, but one that really hits here), there is a lot of rain.

Ignore the weather predictions. Ignore the people who say it only rains for brief periods.

If you come to Orlando during rainy season, be prepared for some rain...and if you don't get it, be glad.

 

[mousehockey37]

Ignore the weather predictions. Ignore the people who say it only rains for brief periods.

If you come to Orlando during rainy season, be prepared for some rain...and if you don't get it, be glad.

I wouldnt say to totally ignore the forecast. Be aware of what they're calling for. The percent of rain is what I looked at and we were able to put ourselves in a position that we made the best of it.

I'd say to have a weather app (with radar) on your phone. Remember, with the hit or miss stuff, one park may get hit hard while another is completely dry, so kinda make sure you just use common sense as well.

 

[luv]

I wouldnt say to totally ignore the forecast. Be aware of what they're calling for. The percent of rain is what I looked at and we were able to put ourselves in a position that we made the best of it.

I'd say to have a weather app (with radar) on your phone. Remember, with the hit or miss stuff, one park may get hit hard while another is completely dry, so kinda make sure you just use common sense as well.

I ignore them, just like I ignored predictions of snow. They may say you're going to have "up to one foot" and go on and on about it. And you don't get enough to cover the grass. Then, one day it starts coming down, you get a foot, cars are stuck all over the city, reverse 911 calls go out telling you not to leave the house...and they had predicted regular snow, maybe two inches.

The rain in Orlando has been the same experience.

Those percentages mean nothing to me until a day before...and even then, they might be off. I look at them, I listen to the tv peeps, but I wouldn't bet on it being accurate. I've been sitting in the house watching the rain pour down for an hour before my app changes from "sunny" to rain.

But that's me. There are many other opinions, I'm sure...and I'm not married to Jim Cantore or anything! Certainly, everyone should listen to all viewpoints and then do what they think is best.

 

[SMS55]

Don't freak out. The forecast from about early May through early October will read "thunderstorms." It's the summer and it is our rainy season. Most of the time they are short lived won't inconvinience you much. As a matter of fact they are welcomed because they cool off the day a little. Sometimes it does get sticker afterwards, but not often. You will be fine. Look at the percentages they give (30%, 40% etc). If it's 30% and under it probably won't rain much if at all. Once you get to 40% expect some rain but not too much. Once you get to 50% it will rain frequently throughout the day. Hope this helps.