Southern California was rocked by storms yesterday, and it caused many of its major theme parks to close.
Weather is usually one of the biggest factors in a theme park closing or changing its operating hours. Barring a national emergency like the COVID-19 pandemic, it usually takes a lot to get a Park to close. Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Orlando Resort in Florida have both closed numerous times due to hurricanes, and the water parks in the area will frequently close due to cold weather.
However, lately, it seems that California is being hit with even more extreme weather than the unpredictable Florida. Just in the last month, temperatures plummeted in the region, causing snow to be spotted at Disneyland Park for the first time ever.
Yesterday, several theme parks in Southern California had to change their operating hours or close altogether due to a series of atmospheric river events that have resulted in severe storms across the region for weeks. Six Flags Magic Mountain closed as winds were recorded at its location as high as 57 mph. Magic Mountain Truck Trail, a site on the peak of the Park’s namesake, experienced winds as high as 102 mph.
🌧️ Visit https://t.co/AhG51cHMRa for additional park hours! pic.twitter.com/SAnCdE8f3H
— Six Flags Magic Mountain (@SFMagicMountain) March 21, 2023
Knott’s Berry Farm also announced it would close due to the storms. Meanwhile, Disneyland in Anaheim opted to keep the Park open but at reduced hours, closing at 11 p.m. instead of the usual midnight. Only a few brave Parkgoers were at the opening gate, armed with ponchos and umbrellas. Universal Studios Hollywood, however, maintained normal hours. The Park’s attractions are mostly indoors, and the location has good slope and drainage, so it’s likely they were minimally affected.
The National Weather Service issued a High Wind Warning for the rest of Tuesday, with “gusts expected from “Southwest winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts to 55 mph expected” and “isolated gusts to 60 mph.” They also issued a less-urgent Flood Watch, stating that “excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations.”