3If you have a Walt Disney World Resort, or Universal Orlando Resort vacation planned in for this week, Hurricane Milton may be on top of mind, so here are the updates you need regarding the storm, and what might happen at the theme parks.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued a warning on Sunday that Tropical Storm Milton is quickly strengthening and is expected to become a major hurricane by the time it makes landfall in Florida on Wednesday.
“Steady to rapid strengthening is forecast during the next few days,” said Jack Beven, senior hurricane specialist at the NHC. “Milton is forecast to become a hurricane later today, and it could become a major hurricane while it moves across the central and eastern Gulf of Mexico.”
As of the NHC’s 8 a.m. advisory, Tropical Storm Milton had sustained winds of 60 mph and was moving east at 5 mph. The storm is currently located about 860 miles west-southwest of Tampa and 345 miles west-northwest of Progresso, Mexico, with tropical-storm-force winds extending 35 miles from its center. The NHC noted that the risk of “life-threatening impacts” for Florida’s west coast is increasing.
NWS Melbourne shared their Sunday update: “Sunday 10/6 🌧️ Clouds, scattered showers are expected through the day (a few lightning storms cannot be ruled out) 🚩 Hazardous beach conditions w/ life-threatening rip currents and rough surf” 🌀 #Milton is forecast to become a hurricane tonight, approaching Florida mid week.
Sunday 10/6
🌧️ Clouds, scattered showers are expected through the day (a few lightning storms cannot be ruled out)
🚩 Hazardous beach conditions w/ life-threatening rip currents and rough surf
🌀 #Milton is forecast to become a hurricane tonight, approaching Florida mid week. pic.twitter.com/Pfi1UNLiGH
— NWS Melbourne (@NWSMelbourne) October 6, 2024
An NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft sent to investigate Milton found that the storm had already intensified since the earlier 5 a.m. advisory, which had sustained winds at 50 mph.
Daniel Brown, branch chief at the NHC, confirmed the storm is benefiting from favorable atmospheric and oceanic conditions. “With the expected low vertical wind shear conditions, steady to rapid strengthening appears likely during the next few days,” Brown explained.
The storm is forecast to become a hurricane by Sunday night or early Monday, and a major hurricane by Tuesday night, reaching sustained winds of 120 mph with gusts up to 150 mph.
The storm’s trajectory places its potential landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast by Wednesday afternoon. While the exact location of landfall is uncertain, the current forecast suggests a path toward the Tampa Bay area, with the storm tracking across Central Florida and exiting into the Atlantic as a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 90 mph.
“There remains some spread in both the track and forward speed, so it is too early to specify which portions of the Florida Peninsula will get the worst impacts,” said Beven. “The average NHC track error at day four is around 150 miles, so users are reminded not to focus on the exact track.”
The NHC’s models are predicting a range of intensities, with possibilities anywhere from Category 1 to Category 5. Brown warned that the storm could become stronger than forecasted, noting, “The regional hurricane models continue to be quite aggressive in intensifying Milton.”
In preparation for the storm, Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 35 Florida counties, including Brevard, Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, and Orange. DeSantis is expected to hold a press conference at the State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee to provide updates.
Tropical storm and hurricane warnings have already been issued for parts of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, and Florida residents are advised to have their hurricane preparedness plans in place.
Impacts on Florida are expected to include heavy rains, storm surge, and high winds, with rainfall potentially reaching up to 12 inches in parts of the Florida Peninsula. A flood watch has been issued for Central Florida, and swells from the storm are predicted to cause dangerous surf and rip currents along Florida’s Gulf Coast.
The NHC is also tracking two hurricanes in the Atlantic—Kirk, a Category 2 storm, and Leslie, a Category 1 hurricane. Both are moving through the northeastern Atlantic, but weakening is expected as they transition to extratropical systems over the coming days.
Milton is predicted to hit on Wednesday, just a week and a bit past when Hurricane Helene came in and devastated areas of the Florida coast like St. Petersburg, and now, Milton is ready to make things even worse.
The ongoing hurricane model predictions do not seem to be changing their course by much, and as of right now, possible Hurricane Milton will be directly crossing through Orlando, as up to as high as a category 3 storm. Helene’s hurricane bands did reach Orlando as well, but it was mostly just high winds in the area; with very little rainfall, this storm will likely be very different.
Disney World and Universal: Possible Closures
In order to prepare, the theme parks made some decisions regarding their operational status. At Disney World, not too many operations were altered. Typhoon Lagoon, the water park, closed for the day, which was expected. Disney will even close the park in cold weather on a last-minute notice, and if it is storming, the water park would barely be usable for guests anyways.
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party was canceled in advance as well. This was a smart move on Disney’s part as guests are allowed to request a date change no matter the price jump if they are at the party and the parade is unable to go out.
With the predictions of rainfall that Helene was getting, Disney prevented a line of thousands down Main Street, U.S.A. to City Hall full of sad wet guests waiting to get a date change.
We also saw mini golf courses close.
At Universal Orlando Resort, the same operational changes occurred.
Volcano Bay, the water park at Universal, also shut down, and Universal also made the call to cancel operations for Halloween Horror Nights the evening of Helene’s arrival.
Other nearby theme parks like Busch Gardens Tampa Bay closed down for the day.
With Milton arriving on a Sunday, we can expect similar operational choices, and if things intensify, there is also the chance that the parks will also shut down.
Disney World Pauses Hotel Reservations
Due to this impending threat, Walt Disney World has temporarily paused hotel reservations for October 9th and 10th.
While no official statement has been released, the unavailability of rooms for these dates suggests that Disney is preparing for potential evacuations and may need to utilize available inventory for Cast Members. These Cast Members, known as the ride-out crew, often remain at their assigned resorts to ensure smooth operations during emergencies.
In past hurricane events, Disney World has provided additional services for guests staying at the resorts, including entertainment and activities for children. This proactive measure aims to minimize disruptions and ensure a comfortable experience for guests even under challenging circumstances.
The best way to stay up to date with what may occur would be to keep an eye out for both Disney and Universal’s social media accounts, especially X, as they will be giving real-time updates if they are needed on the status of the theme parks, as well as keeping an eye on Inside the Magic, where we will be tracking Milton over the next few days to keep our readers in the know of what is coming, and how it will impact Central Florida.
Would you visit Disney World in the wake of Hurricane Milton?