Credit: Inside The MagicA Disney park faces potential mass closures tomorrow.
When storms roll in, Disney parks are not immune. Over the past few seasons, parks from Orlando to Hong Kong have been forced to shutter rides or close entirely under extreme weather.
For example, in October 2024, Walt Disney World preemptively closed Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Disney Springs as Hurricane Milton approached, staging phased closures starting in the early afternoon.
Hong Kong Disneyland has faced more than its fair share of similar closures. In September 2023, the resort closed entirely for two days during Typhoon Saola, with photos showing fallen trees and damage across the park grounds.
Typhoon Signal Issued
Now, the park faces more closures.
The Hong Kong Observatory issued the No. 1 typhoon warning at 7:40 p.m. on Friday as Severe Tropical Storm Matmo moved closer to the city. Officials confirmed they would consider upgrading to a higher signal on Saturday afternoon. Matmo is the twelfth storm to trigger a warning this year, the most since 1946.
“Matmo is expected to maintain a distance of about 500km or more from Hong Kong [on Friday night] and [Saturday] morning. The standby signal, No 1, will remain in force until noon [on Saturday],” the Observatory said.
“Depending on the intensity of Matmo, the distance of its associated gale force winds from the Pearl River Estuary and the change in local wind conditions, the Observatory will then assess the need of issuing higher tropical cyclone warning signals,” it added.
According to forecasters, Matmo will “intensify progressively” as it edges closer to the Leizhou Peninsula and the eastern part of Hainan Island. The weather is expected to remain hot on Saturday, with squally showers and thunderstorms later in the day, and more showers following on Sunday. Seas are also expected to be rough with swells.
Impact on Hong Kong Disneyland
It is too early to determine how the storm may affect Hong Kong Disneyland, which is already closed for the day.
However, outdoor attractions such as Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars (the park’s equivalent of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad), Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and Orbitron will likely face temporary closures if the warning level is raised. The nighttime show Momentous: Party in the Night Sky is also unlikely to go ahead.
The park typically conducts such closures when under Typhoon Signal No. 3 or above. No announcements have been made yet regarding additional closures.
This marks the fourth storm to near Hong Kong in just five weeks. Hong Kong Disneyland most recently shut down for two days in September during Super Typhoon Ragasa, described as the strongest storm on Earth so far this year. The resort reopened on September 25 after remaining closed on September 23 (when guests were evacuated from the park halfway through the day) and September 24.
Stay tuned for more Disney park closure updates.