PHOTOS! What It’s Like to Do Disney World in SEVERE Weather

Hello from a VERY rainy day at Disney!

The weather in Florida is often extremely unpredictable, and today things were definitely on the stormier side. While your first instinct may be to try and avoid Disney World while it’s raining, we’re giving you a look at what it’s actually like to be in the parks during severe weather (both the good and bad!).

Florida was under a severe weather watch this morning and we certainly got a taste of it while walking the parks! In case you were wondering what Disney World looks like during a downpour, here’s your answer: at one point, the rain was so bad, we could barely see Main Street, U.S.A.! While the rain might not be ideal, it’s worth noting this is the emptiest we’ve seen the area around Cinderella Castle in…well, quite awhile! 

We popped over to Tomorrowland in the hopes of finding shelter and saw that LOTS of people had a similar idea. There were big crowds of folks in ponchos here, and some massive puddles to trek through, too! One consistent thing that seems to happen when it rains in the parks is that people seek shelter to keep from getting wet, which often causes crowding underneath certain spots.

Over in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, we saw a similar story — lots of rain, and as we were heading in, most people were heading out!

One major factor to consider at Animal Kingdom when there’s thunder is that a lot of the rides and attractions are outdoors. That means that a bunch of rides were temporarily closed, so if you were hoping the low crowds would mean lower wait times you’d be out of luck.

However, once the thunder calmed down, certain rides did reopen, such as Kilimanjaro Safaris!

The weather has temporarily shut down MOST of the rides at Disney's Animal Kingdom, but Kilimanjaro Safaris is still running! pic.twitter.com/NQe6s17yFz

— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) April 11, 2021

As people seek shelter, a popular spot for many guests are gift shops! You’ll notice when it rains that the shops get much more crowded, as guests look to avoid the rain (and get some shopping done!).

Just like we saw in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom, we saw plenty of crowds looking to stay dry at Animal Kingdom as well.

Even though it can’t be fun to be soaking wet at Disney World, you don’t necessarily want to leave the park right away when it storms because Florida rain can pass as quickly as it comes in. Once the storm subsides, you might find you have the park to yourself, which can end up making getting caught under the weather pretty worth it.

There are definitely both upsides and downsides to visiting Disney World during rain or a thunderstorm. As we saw today, a thunderstorm can take out a lot of the outdoor rides in parks like Disney’s Animal Kingdom. However, if you’re willing to wait it out, you could be rewarded with lower wait times and crowds. Either way, with the unpredictable weather in Florida, it’s good to know what to pack to prepare just in case! We’ll keep you updated with all the latest from the parks.

If you’re heading to Disney World soon, be sure you’re prepared for Florida’s Crazy weather!

Have you ever been caught on a rainy day at Disney World? Let us know in the comments!