Credit: @BDaugstrup (left), Cedar Point (right)An alarming weather phenomenon was caught on camera today outside a popular theme park.
Theme parks do everything they can to keep guests safe, but some things are unavoidable. Unfortunately, the weather is one of those things. Over the years, we’ve seen parks nationwide shut their gates due to inclement weather, with certain regions suffering more than most.
Being a hurricane-prone state, Florida is one of those areas. Walt Disney World Resort, for example, has shuttered its four theme parks to keep guests safe from hurricanes on multiple occasions. When Hurricane Ian approached in 2022, Florida Governor DeSantis declared a state of emergency for numerous counties, leading Disney World to close its parks on September 28 and 29.
Prior to this shutdown, Magic Kingdom Park, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom also closed early for Hurricane Dorian in 2019 (EPCOT remained open). All four parks were shuttered on September 10 and 11, 2017, due to Hurricane Irma. Before that, all Disney World parks were closed for six other hurricanes.
But Florida isn’t the only storm-prone state. Recently, we’ve also seen major theme parks such as SeaWorld San Diego, Dollywood, Hersheypark, and Cedar Point close their doors due to severe weather. The latter was forced to close the doors of its water park, Cedar Point Shores Waterpark, early in July due to the remnants of Hurricane Beryl (which was fortunately no longer a hurricane).
Today, it was also the site of another severe weather phenomenon. Before the park opened to guests, a waterspout was pictured over Lake Erie by the Sandusky theme park.
Waterspout off the coast of Cedar Point.
Waterspout off the coast of Cedar Point @NWSCLE pic.twitter.com/ZdXA19tzvH
— Brennan (@BDaugstrup) July 25, 2024
Fortunately, Cedar Point was closed at the time, so there were no reports of damage or injuries from the park. The waterspout allegedly formed at around 8:30 a.m. This followed the National Weather Service’s warning to boaters and those along the shore of Lake Erie that waterspouts were possible today.
Formed by colder air passing over warmer lake water, this phenomenon typically lasts up to 20 minutes and isn’t overly dangerous. This kind of waterspout is considered “non-tornadic,” with the “tornadic” kind forming more like traditional tornadoes – they just so happen to be located over water.
This summer has been eventful for Cedar Point. On July 1, it officially became part of the Six Flags family after the completion of the $8 billion merger between Six Flags Entertainment Corporation and Cedar Fair, LP.
After months of hype, the park – which has been dubbed “America’s Roller Coast” due to its impressive lineup of 17 roller coasters – was also forced to close its newly opened Top Thrill 2 hypercoaster (which replaced Top Thrill Dragster after a woman was struck by a piece of metal from the roller coaster) for modifications, which are still ongoing two months later.
In an even more rogue turn of events, Cedar Point made headlines in June when its resident camels escaped “The Barnyard” – an interactive petting zoo where guests can meet the likes of goats, sheep, pigs, ducks, turtles, and donkeys – and went on a stroll through the theme park.
Have you ever experienced severe or strange weather at a theme park?