Credit: Inside the MagicDisney World and Orange County are currently under an extreme heat advisory, with authorities exhorting citizens to stay out of the harsh environment and check on at-risk persons.
According to the National Weather Service, Orange County, where the majority of the Walt Disney World Resort is located, is essentially under a weather lockdown:
Inland Volusia-Northern Lake-Orange-Seminole-Osceola-Okeechobee-
Coastal Volusia-Southern Lake-Coastal Indian River-Coastal Saint
Lucie-Coastal Martin-Inland Northern Brevard-Inland Indian River-
Inland Saint Lucie-Inland Martin-Mainland Northern Brevard-
Northern Brevard Barrier Islands-Inland Southern Brevard-Mainland
Southern Brevard-Southern Brevard Barrier Islands-
Including the cities of Viera West, Winter Park, Daytona Beach,
Clermont, Palm Bay west of I 95, Saint Cloud, Winter Springs,
Deland, Port Saint Lucie, Deltona, Eustis, Hobe Sound, Melbourne
Beach, Tavares, Leesburg, Debary, Groveland, Basinger, Apopka,
Jensen Beach, Stuart, Canaveral Groves, Okeechobee, Mims,
Celebration, Mascotte, Kissimmee, Vero Beach, Maitland, Union
Park, Sebastian, Saint Lucie West, Port Saint John, Melbourne,
Fort Drum, Mount Dora, Playalinda Beach, Ormond Beach, Tradition,
Orlando, Sanford, Fort Pierce, Cocoa, Rockledge, Indiantown,
Cocoa Beach, Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, Titusville,
Fellsmere, Casselberry, Oviedo, Altamonte Springs, New Smyrna
Beach, and Satellite Beach
233 AM EDT Fri Aug 9 2024…HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM EDT THIS
EVENING…* WHAT…Heat index values up to 109 expected.
* WHERE…Coastal Indian River, Coastal Martin, Coastal Saint Lucie,
Coastal Volusia, Inland Indian River, Inland Martin, Inland
Northern Brevard, Inland Saint Lucie, Inland Southern Brevard,
Inland Volusia, Mainland Northern Brevard, Mainland Southern
Brevard, Northern Brevard Barrier Islands, Northern Lake,
Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Southern Brevard Barrier
Islands, and Southern Lake.* WHEN…From 10 AM this morning to 6 PM EDT this evening.
Related: U.S. Travel Advisory: Disney World Recommends Abandoning Summer Vacations
This is occurring in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Debby, during which at least four Floridians died and hundreds more were displaced due to flooding and intense weather.
Most of Central Florida is currently being advised to “Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors.” Notably, this is in the state in which worker protections, specifically against the sun, have recently been stripped, so outdoor workers are particularly at risk at the moment.
However, all Floridians are currently in weather-related danger at the moment. Central and South Florida is experiencing historically high hazardous temperatures, and according to the Florida Policy Institute, the state “has the highest numbers of heat-related illness in the U.S., with the most recent data showing 31,011 emergency room visits and hospitalizations between 2018 and 2022.” The FPI further states:
- An estimated 490,710 Floridians work in outdoor jobs.
- Florida’s top three outdoor industries are construction, amusement and recreation, and landscaping.
- 5,750,273 Floridians (26.2 percent) are highly vulnerable to extreme heat. In 20 counties, more than a third of residents are.
- Florida has the highest numbers of heat-related illness in the U.S., with the most recent data showing 31,011 emergency room visits and hospitalizations between 2018 and 2022.
This is not a record that Florida probably wants to take much pride in. Broward Health Dr. Jason Mansour says (via CBS), “The temperatures are very hot, and our ability to dissipate heat off of our bodies diminishes when it comes to high humidity. And so, this time of the year is especially the time of the year we see folks coming in.”
What Dr. Mansour is referring to is known as wet-bulb temperature, which the MIT Technology Review defines as “literally what a thermometer measures if a wet cloth is wrapped around it.” It is an approximation of what the human skin temperature would be like if one is constantly sweating.
According to most researchers, like Indiana University Bloomington physiologist Zach Schlader, a wet-bulb temperature of 95 °F is the absolute limit of human tolerance; higher temperatures will lead to organ and brain damage.
Related: Disney World Parks Thrown Into Chaos as 3,000 Floridians Panic Over Fraudulent Advisory
It is an extremely bad sign, then, that major weather news outlets are reporting that the heat index around Disney World and in central Florida is approaching 114 °F, far above the tolerable limits for human safety. ClickOrlando states that the heat index in the area is currently “105-110, with 114 degrees possible in some areas.” By any scientific measure, this is deeply unhealthy.
It does not help that Walt Disney World attracts a clientele disproportionally composed of children and the elderly, both of whom are specifically at risk for temperatures like the heat advisory is warning of. If you are at risk of heat-related illnesses, please take caution while visiting theme parks in Central Florida. Governmental resources for preparedness can be found here.
Please review the Center for Disease Control infographic on heat-related illnesses below:
How are you dealing with Disney World heat?