Disney World Vacations Vanquished After Federal Directive, Airport Abruptly Strikes Flights

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Crowds in front of Cinderella Castle

Credit: Inside the Magic

If you are planning on flying in or out of Orlando this weekend, or within the following days as Hurricane Debby develops, Orlando International Airport has issued an alert.

Disney's Grand Floridian under a dramatic stormy sky with lightning. A Disney World monorail passes in front at dusk, and the hotel's many windows
Credit: Inside The Magic

Tropical Storm Debby rapidly intensified on Sunday as it churned through the Gulf of Mexico, posing a significant threat to Florida’s Big Bend region. Forecasters predict the storm will make landfall as a hurricane on Monday morning.

Located approximately 155 miles southwest of Tampa, Debby was moving north-northwest at 13 mph. The storm is expected to undergo further strengthening as it encounters increasingly warm waters in the Gulf. Maximum sustained winds reached 60 mph, with higher gusts reported.

A hurricane warning has been issued for the Big Bend region, encompassing the area from the Suwannee River to the Ochlockonee River. Storm surge warnings are in place for the central Gulf Coast, with potential surges of 4 to 7 feet anticipated.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency, urging residents to prepare for the storm’s impact. The state is actively mobilizing resources to address potential power outages, flooding, and other hazards.

At a Sunday morning news conference at the state Emergency Operations Center, Governor DeSantis urged residents in Debby’s potential path to finalize preparations for what he described as a “major event” with “significant impacts across the state,” as NBC supported.

“This is a big storm. You’re going to have rain far beyond the center of the storm,” DeSantis stated. “Just because you’re not in the eye doesn’t mean you won’t experience major impacts.”

haunted mansion storm
Credit: Mike Buchawiecki / Flickr

President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration to provide federal assistance, supplementing the state’s efforts with Debby, the White House announced Sunday morning. Biden authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate the response.

State Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie noted that Debby has a 1-in-3 chance of rapid intensification before landfall. The National Hurricane Center reported Sunday morning that the storm was in the Gulf of Mexico about 200 miles south-southwest of Tampa, with sustained winds of 50 mph.

Forecasts predict that Debby will make landfall with maximum sustained winds between 74 mph and 95 mph, categorizing it as a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, with the potential to strengthen into a Category 2 hurricane.

Weather expert Ryan Maue shared, “Over next 7-days, Debby will drop upwards of 40-trillion gallons of rainfall on the Eastern United States directly and indirectly from Florida to Maine. The most will fall in Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia.” With this will come an extreme risk of flooding.

Debby is forecast to bring torrential rainfall to the region, with potential accumulations of up to 20 inches. The slow movement of the storm is expected to exacerbate flooding risks.

Residents are advised to heed evacuation orders, secure property, and prepare emergency kits. The storm’s impact is expected to be widespread, with coastal and inland areas alike facing potential hazards.

As Florida continues to brave through hurricane season, Orlando tends to see a ton of flight delays and cancelations. Not only will hurricanes hit Florida during the summer, but strong storms also plague the state on a nearly daily basis during the same time. With millions flying in and out for their Disney World and Universal vacations, many end up affected with their flights being severely altered.

Today, Orlando International Airport spoke out about the ongoing tropical storm / possible hurricane, alerting guests to keep an eye out for changes on their flights.

“Weather Alert: ⛈️ Our airport is open and operational while we continue to monitor Tropical Storm Debby. Please check with your airline directly in regards to their operations for the most up-to-date flight information”

When looking at Flight Aware, it appears that Orlando International Airport has already had a whopping 95 flight cancelations today, and that is all before 11:00 a.m. We would expect that number to quickly climb into the triple digits as the day goes on. There have also been 183 delays as of the publishing of this article, but that number is expected to increase dramatically as well.

This will certainly impact thousands of vacations and will likely continue to do so over the following days as the tropical storm persists in significant rainfall amounts.

At the moment, neither Universal Orlando Resort nor Walt Disney World Resort has altered their hours of operation, but that can change at any time. Universal Orlando Resort, in particular, did release a statement that they are monitoring the weather and will provide operational updates if necessary.

Storm rolling in over Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom
Credit: Kevin-Davis-Photography / Flickr

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has officially announced that they will be ceasing all operations today. The theme park also closed down early yesterday. Busch Gardens is expected to open as scheduled tomorrow, however.

Have you ever had a flight delayed or canceled when you were on a Disney vacation?

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