Please tell me about the late June thunderstorms?

[ldymcbth]

We are headed down Monday, and the weather shows 60% chance of scattered or PM thunderstorms each day. Is this just par for the course this time of year? Should we expect a brief afternoon storm each day or are these more like once it starts coming down it never stops? I made most of my FP+ reservations for 2p-5p, so if we miss a ride (BTM for example) b/c it's shut down for thunderstorms, will it be reusable later in the day if the storms go away?

We are also planning 2 water park days b/c I have leftover non-expiring tickets. Our local water park shuts down for 30m after thunder - do Disney parks do something similar, or will they just shut down altogether?

Thanks so much for your help!

PS - it seems like anytime someone posts regarding crowds or weather in the summer or whatever, they are told to choose a different time to visit. After years of freedom as to when I could head to Disney, as a now single mom with shared custody and a new career in teaching after years as a SAHM, I am very limited in when we can travel. (Limited with a lot of things now, but I digress.) So as much as I would love to go in October, I can't. Just to limit the number of responses I get that say "if you don't like thunderstorms, don't go now!"

 

[yulilin3]

we had a draught until 2 weeks ago when it seems all the rain we should've gotten from January to May is falling
Right now our rain pattern is not the usual, afternoon storms, but more of a rain all day situation.
Basically expect rain every day, it can be just an hour or two or an entire afternoon
FP for attractions that you are not able to use because of rain can be used at any other attraction or wait until later and use it on the one you wanted. With the exception of Pandora rides or Frozen Ever After
Water parks will close the slides and pools if lightning is in a 5 miles radius. You are not told to leave but you cannot go into the water features. You can try and wait it out and I would suggest looking at the radar to see if it's a quick moving storm or a bigger one

 

[holden]

We've been here for a few days now and it has rained every day in the afternoon starting around 2 or 3. Sometimes it keeps raining until 8 or so and sometimes it stops after a few hours.

We just put ponchos on a keep going.

Not sure about the water parks.

 

[mmfox316]

I am here now. Some days it has rained a tiny amount on the way to parks but then was fine until 2-3pm. Then it rained until 9pm. Some parks had brief downpours. Some were light steady drizzle. Bring quart zip locks for wallet, fits that can't get wet and phone. Also bring ponchos. Bring gallon ziplock for sweatshirts if you get cold. The buses can be very cold after being rained on.

We do the 8-2 at park and then back to resort to try to see which park might be getting the least rain. Just because it pours where you are doesn't mean that is happening all over Disney. This place is huge.

 

[kmb584]

You'll typically see passing afternoon storms in June, but as @yulilin3 mentioned, the weather thus far has been atypical. We were in WDW last week and it was more or less a washout. There were days where we saw 6+ hours of rain and storms. We threw on rain jackets and put up umbrellas, but the weather really did impact our vacation like never before. We were all grumpy, soggy messes by the end of the night.

 

[ldymcbth]

You'll typically see passing afternoon storms in June, but as @yulilin3 mentioned, the weather thus far has been atypical. We were in WDW last week and it was more or less a washout. There were days where we saw 6+ hours of rain and storms. We threw on rain jackets and put up umbrellas, but the weather really did impact our vacation like never before. We were all grumpy, soggy messes by the end of the night.

Oh man. Here's hoping it goes back to more typical stuff soon. This will be the last trip to WDW I can afford for a long while and I am hoping it make it a great one. I am not worried about my kids hanging in there, but I am also taking my parents and they are a little less go-with-the-flow! Particularly when the flow is a lot of rain! LOL

 

[ucfknight]

PS - it seems like anytime someone posts regarding crowds or weather in the summer or whatever, they are told to choose a different time to visit. After years of freedom as to when I could head to Disney, as a now single mom with shared custody and a new career in teaching after years as a SAHM, I am very limited in when we can travel. (Limited with a lot of things now, but I digress.) So as much as I would love to go in October, I can't. Just to limit the number of responses I get that say "if you don't like thunderstorms, don't go now!"

If you came in October there would be people posting "never go during hurricane season!".

As for your actual trip this year, we have been getting a lot of rain the past few weeks. Most of the thunderstorms are in the afternoon to evening hours. It can last from minutes to hours depending on your location and the way the weather pattern is on a particular day. If you are hitting the water parks try to get there for park open and ride as much as you can. If there is any lighting they will shut down all water attractions until 30 minutes after the last close strike.

If you have room in your suitcase I would consider bringing quality rain jackets and umbrellas. The Disney ponchos are better than dollar store ponchos, but they certainly aren't the best quality you can buy.

If the rain is light and there is no lighting some of the outdoor rides will still remain open. If there is any lightning nearby, though, they will shut down.

 

[kmb584]

Oh man. Here's hoping it goes back to more typical stuff soon. This will be the last trip to WDW I can afford for a long while and I am hoping it make it a great one. I am not worried about my kids hanging in there, but I am also taking my parents and they are a little less go-with-the-flow! Particularly when the flow is a lot of rain! LOL

Oh, I understand! My 83-year-old grandmother traveled with us last week and spent more time in our villa than in the parks. She had a full rain gear wardrobe but refused to step foot outside because it'd ruin her hair [then got upset with us because we didn't spend 8 days in the room with her].

 

[AllieBoo]

We were there last week (we always go this time of year), and the rain was definitely more than we are used to. I prefer to bring small umbrellas rather than ponchos. The ponchos are just messy to deal with once they get wet and it's hard trying to fold them back up once they've been used. Also a few rides (such as FEA) won't let you keep them on while on the ride. Make sure to wear croc or keen type waterproof sandals.

 

[HydroGuy]

We are headed down Monday, and the weather shows 60% chance of scattered or PM thunderstorms each day. Is this just par for the course this time of year? Should we expect a brief afternoon storm each day or are these more like once it starts coming down it never stops? I made most of my FP+ reservations for 2p-5p, so if we miss a ride (BTM for example) b/c it's shut down for thunderstorms, will it be reusable later in the day if the storms go away?

We are also planning 2 water park days b/c I have leftover non-expiring tickets. Our local water park shuts down for 30m after thunder - do Disney parks do something similar, or will they just shut down altogether?

Thanks so much for your help!

PS - it seems like anytime someone posts regarding crowds or weather in the summer or whatever, they are told to choose a different time to visit. After years of freedom as to when I could head to Disney, as a now single mom with shared custody and a new career in teaching after years as a SAHM, I am very limited in when we can travel. (Limited with a lot of things now, but I digress.) So as much as I would love to go in October, I can't. Just to limit the number of responses I get that say "if you don't like thunderstorms, don't go now!"

FWIW, our very first trip to WDW was in mid-June for 10 days and we experienced Florida's first named tropical storm that year. We were planning to be at Epcot on the worst day and did it with a downpour all day long. We had rain ponchos and just powered through.

Saying to let you know that tropical storms are a possibility in June.

 

[Catvondita]

Really nervous for this. We fly out on Saturday. Usually when I go we've been pretty lucky with the weather. It rarely rains when we go even though the chance or precipitation always says about 50%. I know Florida needs the rain but I'm hoping its not a washout!

 

[boris]

Well I am also starting a 14day vacation this Saturday and I think the weatheraccu forecast does not look too bad. Actually it shows a mix of sun and clouds, paired with daily thunderstorm chances. Hours of precipitation are not bad either . I know the forecast might change until the very last minute but right now it looks very much like typical Florida weather.

 

[Catvondita]

Well I am also starting a 14day vacation this Saturday and I think the weatheraccu forecast does not look too bad. Actually it shows a mix of sun and clouds, paired with daily thunderstorm chances. Hours of precipitation are not bad either . I know the forecast might change until the very last minute but right now it looks very much like typical Florida weather.

Same! When I was looking at the weather forecast I thought "Huh that seems about normal". But reading this thread is making me nervous lol.

 

[Kingdome8]

I'll be there June 26 as well. Hope no rain.
It rained every day we were there last trip.
Of course we go on but it still sucks.
Hopefully another drought will start

 

[Chavaleh]

I'm glad they are getting the rain they so badly needed there. My family is arriving this week for a 10 day vacation and though I'd rather have nice sunny days, our vacation moisture quotient is far far less important than getting rid of that awful drought they've been in. We'll throw on our ponchos, put up our umbrellas and carry on. Plants and animals need the rain.

 

[reverie1729]

Is the rain making it chilly though? Leaving in a few hours from Ohio and all we have packed are shorts, t-shirts, and tank tops. Should I pack some other clothes?

 

[Juliet0778]

Well I am also starting a 14day vacation this Saturday and I think the weatheraccu forecast does not look too bad. Actually it shows a mix of sun and clouds, paired with daily thunderstorm chances. Hours of precipitation are not bad either . I know the forecast might change until the very last minute but right now it looks very much like typical Florida weather.

Agreed. We're going Sunday and I wasn't too stressed about it. Hoping it'll just be the relatively brief storms, though.

 

[Juliet0778]

Is the rain making it chilly though? Leaving in a few hours from Ohio and all we have packed are shorts, t-shirts, and tank tops. Should I pack some other clothes?

I'm not going to, personally. The boys are always hot anyway, and I figured I can buy a sweatshirt if I'm desperate.

 

[Mr. Drauer]

Is the rain making it chilly though? Leaving in a few hours from Ohio and all we have packed are shorts, t-shirts, and tank tops. Should I pack some other clothes?

No - its making it muggier because of the added moisture (we call that humidity here) in the air. You can get a breeze in WDW at resorts where there are open areas (think Poly on the water side) but by no means would the word chilly enter in the conversation at this time of year. We are lucky if the night-time low gets below 70 in summer.

 

[BellRN]

Like all these lovely people have said, it's been a wash out. We were there from June 1-7 and it rained every day for hours. We barely were able to swim. Most of the days it rained after about 2 and would last the rest of the day. But it made the heat bearable. So that was a plus.