If you’re planning to visit Disney World over the next few months, you need to pay close attention to the weather.

While summer in Florida might make you think of heat, sunshine, and some rain showers, severe weather — including hurricanes — can impact the Orlando area and sometimes even shut DOWN Disney World. Each hurricane season is unique though, and this year will be a little different than years past. Here’s what you need to know.

We’re just a little over 2 months away from the start of Hurricane season and some changes are coming. Here’s what will look different according to Spectrum News 13.

1 — A Start Date Change?

The hurricane season currently runs from June 1st through November 30th, but could those dates change? In the past, we’ve seen some talk about the potential to move the start date up to May 15th. For now, however, it looks that won’t change.

According to the National Hurricane Center, some previous findings held that changing the start date would “provide no substantial change to a hurricane season.” The team determined that only about 1% of additional tropical cyclone activity would happen within the 2 weeks proposed to be added to the season. That was too low of a percentage to move things around so the season will start on June 1st this year and for the foreseeable future.

But May 15th is important for a slightly different reason. The National Hurricane Center starts issuing daily Tropical Weather Outlooks on May 15th. So that’s something you’ll want to look out for as you prepare for future trips.

Click here to see INSIDE Disney World after a hurricane

2 — New Names

At the end of each hurricane season, the past season is reviewed by the World Meteorological Organization (which is part of the United Nations). They see what storms were the most deadly, produced the most damage, etc. That helps them determine which names of storms, if any, should be retired. They can then decide what new names should join the list.

For the 2023 season, it seems the list of names that will be used is similar to the one that was last used in 2017. But during that year there were some major storms that impacted the United States (Harvey, Irma, and Maria). So some names have been retired and 4 new names are joining the list this year — Harold, Idalia, Margot, and Nigel.

Here’s a look at the Atlantic Tropical Names for the 2023 hurricane season.

In terms of names with a little bit of a Disney tie-in, Cindy can clearly be tied to Cinderella, while Nigel is the name of the pelican in Finding Nemo, and Philippe is the name of Belle and Maurice’s horse in Beauty and the Beast.

Click here to see 6 items you need for a hurricane in Disney World

3 — A Change in the Outlook Format

As we noted above, starting May 15th, the National Hurricane Center starts issuing daily Tropical Weather Outlooks. But those outlooks will take on a different format this year.

First, what is a Tropical Weather Outlook? It’s a forecast that displays what areas the National Hurricane Center is focusing on for potential development of tropical weather.

The outlooks previously went out 5 days into the future. But that’ll soon be extended out to 7 days. So, starting May 15th, the National Hurricane Center will issue forecasts that “extend out a week in time.” These forecasts will showcase areas within the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea that could produce a storm in the next 7 days.

Click here to see what Disney does to prepare for a hurricane

Potential Future Changes

The World Meteorological Organization’s Hurricane Committee will meet for its 45th session from March 27th through 31st in San Jose, Costa Rica. It’s unclear if any changes will result from that meeting, but we’ll be on the lookout for updates.

What to Know Before Going to Disney World

All of the above information can help you prepare for your trip to Disney World if you’ll be visiting during hurricane season. Here are a few other things to keep in mind. Disney World can be impacted by hurricanes (no, not even Mickey can stop the rain). Sometimes severe weather has brought funnel clouds and flooding to the parks. Other times, a severe enough hurricane (or serious enough concern about an approaching hurricane or tropical storm) has led to the closure of the parks.

As a storm approaches, you may find Disney World hotel availability to be more limited. And if you already have your reservation and end up “riding out” the storm at a Disney World hotel, you’ll want to be prepared for some potential complications including mobile order spots quickly filling up.

Disney hotels may offer hurricane meal kits during this time, which are available for guests to pick up and take back to their hotel rooms. You may also find unique activities and character experiences available at the hotel, aimed at giving guests a magical experience despite the weather.

Wondering what the best hurricane-ready hotels are in Disney World? Click here. And you can click here to see DFB reader tips for riding out a storm in Disney.

We’ll continue to look for updates and let you know what we find. Be sure to check out our video below for more tips on visiting the Most Magical Place on Earth during a less-than-magical weather time.

What are your best tips for being at Disney World during a hurricane? Tell us in the comments!