When guests book a Walt Disney World Resort trip during hurricane season, they essentially roll the dice. You know that when you book during the summer months, your travel could be disrupted by a hurricane in the Atlantic.
Related: Disney World Ceases Operations for the Second Straight Weekend
However, this year, hurricane season has been pretty quiet so far. Earlier this month, Hurricane Debby just missed Central Florida but did significant damage to the panhandle, bringing flooding and heavy rain, killing four people.
Now is not the time to rest for anyone heading to Walt Disney World. Hurricane season in the Atlantic doesn’t end until November, and with warming water temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean, there’s still time for another significant storm.
But for those planning a Disney vacation in the Pacific Ocean, hurricane season just made its way west. Two hurricanes battered Hawaii this weekend, impacting vacations at Disneys Aulani Resort.
Tropical Storm Hone started hitting the Big Island of Hawaii early Sunday morning and is expected to bring heavy rain, high winds, and potential flooding. Early Sunday morning, the tropical storm intensified into a category one hurricane just before it hit the Big Island.
Hone has strengthened to a hurricane just south of Hawaii!
The storm is lashing the big island with gusts topping 60-90 mph and rainfall that has topped 9 inches so far.
About 7,500 households are without power. #Hone pic.twitter.com/vp6fLNid9p
— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) August 25, 2024
Related: Urgent Warning Issued For Walt Disney World, Guests Must Take Precautions
To compound the issues in Hawaii, the islands have suffered a severe drought this summer. The expected six to 12 inches of rain could cause landslides in some dryer areas.
While Hurricane Hone will inconvenience guests at Disney’s Aulani Resort, later this week, something much worse could be coming. To the east of Hawaii, Hurricane Gilma has formed and turned into a category three storm and is expected to become a category four by the end of the weekend.
This week, guests at the Disney Resort are facing incoming surf and rip currents. The National Hurricane Center is warning that by Wednesday, as the storm approaches Hawaii, there will be life-threatening surf and rip currents.
Here's the latest look at Hurricane #Gilma after intensifying once again to major hurricane status. Now a Category 4 storm, Gilma's maximum sustained winds have increased to near 130 mph with higher gusts, and is expected to remain a hurricane through early next week! pic.twitter.com/DFeYVu8MSw
— RadarOmega (@RadarOmega) August 25, 2024
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Hurricane Gilma is about 1,200 miles east of Hawaii, just off the coast of Baja, Mexico. If it continues on its current track, it will hit Hawaii over Labor Day Weekend.
According to the Weather Channel, it is rare for a major hurricane to hit Hawaii directly. From 1950 to 2021, only 30 hurricanes came within 200 miles of Hawaii. The last major hurricane to hit the islands was Hurricane Douglas in 2020, within 30 miles of Hawaii.
During Hurricane Douglas, Disney’s Aulani Resort mostly avoided damage. However, even though it was a category four storm, the hurricane did not directly hit the resort.
With any luck, Hurricane Gilma will shift and avoid hitting Hawaii and the Disney Resort. Fingers crossed.
What has your experience been like when a hurricane hits a Disney Resort?