If you’re headed to Disney World soon, you’ll want to pay attention to the weather forecast.

Tropical Storm Ian (now Hurricane Ian) is headed to Florida and remains a potential threat for the state. Here are the latest updates on this storm. Note: This post is written chronologically and you can find the most up-to-date info from today near the bottom of the article. 

September 24, 2022

According to ABC, the storm is expected to “strengthen over the weekend into a hurricane by Sunday night.” Tropical Storm Ian is then forecasted to strengthen into a major Category 4 hurricane by Tuesday afternoon. 

UPDATE: As of September 27th, Tropical Storm Ian has now strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane.

Currently, the storm is expected to hit the west coast of Florida by midday Thursday. Governor Ron DeSantis has already issued a state of emergency for the entire state of Florida.

The Orlando International Airport has also shared that they will be shifting operations a bit in preparation of the storm.

You can see how the Orlando International Airport is preparing here.

We have been following the storm and have been updating our site with the latest information.

You can follow along for LIVE Tropical Ian updates here.

As of the 5PM update on September 24th, the tropical storm has continued to move forward and is expected to strengthen throughout the weekend. Its trajectory has shifted west a bit, however.

September 25th, 2022

As of September 25th around 8AM, the storm has started to shift back to the east just a bit. You can see the shift made overnight in the short video below.

Most of yesterday the models trended west but since late last night they have edged back eastward. Here’s a look at the trends! We all remain in the cone with impacts to be felt here Wednesday/Thursday. Stay with @WESH for updates. pic.twitter.com/AdTg2zBzKv

— Tony Mainolfi (@TMainolfiWESH) September 25, 2022

Since the Orlando area has some time before the tropical storm is expected to hit, the weather seems quite average today.

We’ll continue to monitor the storm and bring you the latest on how it could affect your trip to Disney World. Click Orlando is estimating a high of 89° with 30% chance of rain. Rain chances are expected to increase to 40% on Monday.

Here is a look at the 11AM update that was released. 

And now for a look at the 3PM model. We are interested to see what direction this shifts to this evening. It is being stressed just how unpredictable things still are, so we will see where the storm actually will hit in the coming days. (For some reason the image below says Friday, but these were just released.)

And the 5PM model, which is similar to what you see above. At this time, a tropical storm watch has been issued for the Lower Florida Keys.

And we found this visual to be very helpful.

Here's at look at the models for #IanL. Still a good spread across the Easter Gulf of Mexico but the trend has inched eastward today with two camps setting up. We will get active weather Wednesday/Thursday either way. Stay with @WESH for updates. #weshwx pic.twitter.com/ZgERXBeEt6

— Tony Mainolfi (@TMainolfiWESH) September 25, 2022

September 26th, 2022

By 8AM ET, Tropical Storm Ian strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane. An intermediate advisory was issued as the storm continues to move northwest towards Florida.

8am #Ian intermediate advisory has been issued; Here's the latest on the storm… pic.twitter.com/yxeNg1VUKc

— Eric Burris (@EricBurrisWESH) September 26, 2022

 

UPDATE: Disney World has announced closures for select resorts, Typhoon Lagoon, and more experiences. The dining and special experiences cancellation policy has changed as well. You can get all of those details here.

 

 

 

 

 

And Disney has shared this statement on Twitter.

The Orlando Sentinel has reported that Hurricane Ian is continuing to gain strength and is moving on a path to target Florida’s Gulf Coast. There is also a threat to Central Florida, which is currently under a tropical storm watch.

An NHC hurricane specialist told the Sentinel that “Ian is expected to remain at or near major hurricane strength as it passes near the west-central coast of Florida on Wednesday and Thursday. An even greater concern is the slower forward motion that is forecast during this period, as the upper trough passes north and east of Ian and the steering currents weaken. This would likely prolong the storm surge, wind, and rainfall impacts along the affected portions of the west coast of Florida, although the roughly shore-parallel track still makes it difficult to pinpoint exactly what locations will experience the most severe impacts.”

September 27, 2022

Hurricane Ian has been upgraded to a category 3 hurricane. 

Tropical Storm warning and hurricane watch have also been issued for Orange County, Florida and Osceola County, Florida. These are the counties the Disney World resides in.

On top of this, Disney Cruise Line has announced how their operations may be impacted at this time.

BREAKING NEWS: Disney World, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld, and more local theme parks have announced multi-day closures ahead of Hurricane Ian. Airports in the Orlando area are closing as well. Disney World will close its theme parks and water parks on Wednesday, September 28th, and Thursday, September 29th. Disney Springs will be closed on Wednesday, September 28th. They expect Disney Springs will also be closed on Thursday, September 29th, but more updates on that will be coming soon.

Get all the details on the Disney World closure HERE!

September 28th, 2022

Hurricane Ian has been upgraded to a category 4 hurricane with winds expected to reach 155MPH. It is very close to being upgraded to a category 5 hurricane.

Here is what the NOAA is saying we can expect from the hurricane today and in the coming days.

Central Florida has also issued a Tornado Watch at this time. Later in the day a Tornado Warning was issued for Osceola and Brevard counties. 

Hurricane Ian made landfall in Cayo Costa, Florida with winds of 150 mph — making it officially landing as a Category 4 storm at 3:05PM ET.

September 29, 2022

Hurricane Ian has now been downgraded to a tropical storm and significant flooding has taken place around Disney World and Orlando. Due to this flooding, the Orlando International Airport will remain closed today. You can read their most recent statement below.

Disney has also released a statement. We have shared the park pass reservations are not available for tomorrow but as of now, Disney has only announced that they will remain closed through September 29th.

BIG UPDATE: Disney World will officially begin a phased reopening on Friday, September 30th. 

We will continue to monitor Ian. If you have any questions about the situation and your trip to Disney World, please let us know and we will do our best to get you the answers you need!

Here are a few more hurricane resources if you are interested: 

• 6 Tips for Planning a Disney World Trip During Hurricane Season
• The Best Hurricane Ready Hotels During Hurricane Season
• 8 Tips for Riding Out a Hurricane in Disney World

Are you visiting Disney World during this storm? Let us know in the comments!