Credit: Inside the MagicHurricane season is officially upon us – and Florida’s first of the season is potentially just around the corner.
Orlando may sit in Central Florida, but it still falls within the Atlantic hurricane season from June 1 to November 30. The most active stretch is mid-August to mid-October, when storms can strengthen and reach inland, as Hurricane Charley did in August 2004.
That means that while Walt Disney World Resort often skips the worst damage, it’s not totally immune to hurricane closures. In the past, hurricanes such as Charley in 2004, Matthew in 2016, Irma in 2017, and Ian in 2022 forced the resort to temporarily shut down operations for guest and cast member safety.
When hurricanes do hit the Most Magical Place on Earth, Disney World closes its parks and halts transportation to keep guests safe.
On-site resort hotels remain open (although guests will often be evacuated from The Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort for obvious reasons), often with modified services and indoor activities, such as character interactions and movie screenings. Guests are advised to shelter in place, and reopening occurs only after safety inspections are complete.
In 2024, we saw Disney World shutter Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom due to the Category 5 Hurricane Milton.
It also axed one night of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party out of an abundance of caution over Hurricane Helene, as well as closing Typhoon Lagoon. Overall, last year’s hurricane season caused Disney a loss of approximately $120 million.
Tropical Storm Heading Towards Florida May Become a Hurricane
As the 2025 season begins, parkgoers may want to gear up for another round of closures.
The National Hurricane Center has warned that Tropical Storm Erin – which started as a cluster of storms off the western coast of Africa and was located about 690 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands earlier today – is currently forecast to become a Category 1 hurricane on August 14. It will approach land over the weekend and become a major hurricane, defined as anything Category 3 and above.
At the time of writing, Tropical Storm Erin is set to turn northwards at some point. That means that it’s too early to predict its impact on Florida, including Orlando. It also means it’s hard to predict its impact on Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort, and other Central Florida theme parks.
However, it’s safe to assume that Orlando could see some rainier weather in the coming week.
Even wet weather can have an impact on theme park operations, potentially shuttering outdoor attractions such as Disney’s Slinky Dog Dash, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and Expedition Everest, and Universal’s VelociCoaster and Hollywood Rip Ride RockIt (which is fast approaching its permanent closure this month).
As per the Disney World website, guests may reschedule or cancel any Disney World hotel packages and most room-only reservations (booked directly with Disney) without any cancellation or change fees in the event of a hurricane warning issued by the National Hurricane Center for the Orlando area.
The same policy applies to Disney’s Vero Beach Resort and Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort.
Stay tuned for further updates on Tropical Storm Erin’s impact on Disney World.