Credit: Inside the MagicCentral Florida is facing severe weather — impacting all major theme park guests in the area.
Today (April 3) is a FOX 35 Storm Alert Day, meaning the Orlando area is facing severe storms, specifically from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., with a tornado watch also issued until this time from Jacksonville down to Kissimmee.
A tornado watch has been issued for parts of Florida until 5 PM EDT.
A tornado watch has been issued for parts of Florida until 5 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/f5ryRJaILt
— NWS Tornado (@NWStornado) April 3, 2024
Related: Portions of Major Theme Park Underwater After Violent Storms
The storms in question will apparently bring wind gusts exceeding 60 mph, and a potential isolated tornado within several miles of the oceanfront. Rain will start even earlier in Northern Central Florida, where storms are expected at lunchtime.
For guests visiting Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort, or SeaWorld Orlando, that means operations will potentially be impacted this afternoon.
This typically means the temporary closure of outdoor attractions like Slinky Dog Dash, Expedition Everest, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad — and, in turn, creating longer lines for unaffected indoor rides such as “it’s a small world,” Space Mountain, or Avatar Flight of Passage.
Even if the storms skip over the theme parks, windy weather, occasional lightning strikes, and hail up to one-inch in diameter is expected all day throughout the Orlando area. However, that hasn’t deterred theme parkgoers, with Volcano Bay already reaching capacity earlier this morning.
Related: Floods Strand Thousands of Disney Park Guests
Florida being Florida, severe weather isn’t exactly rare at Disney World, Universal Orlando, and beyond. The parks are built to deal with this kind of interruption, but that doesn’t mean obstacles don’t crop up.
In the past, Disney’s theme parks have suffered mild flooding, with cast members tasked with clearing up the water to restore conditions ASAP. In September 2023, flooding impacted attractions such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Journey of the Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure at Magic Kingdom. The year prior, a funnel cloud formed near EPCOT, but did not touch down within the park.
As of 11.30 a.m. ET, Disney is yet to introduce any operational changes. Stay tuned for further updates.
Are you visiting a theme park today? Let us know in the comments!