Disney World is no stranger to extreme weather.

Seriously, it can be ridiculously hot (like, triple-digit temperatures, y’all) and we’ve seen some pretty intense storms in the past. Hurricanes do impact Disney World, and the parks can shut down. Since Disney World is in Florida, this is no surprise, but it can greatly alter your vacation. And now, as the 2022 hurricane season officially starts, we could already be about to experience the first storm.

UPDATE:

The storm system IS expected to form into the first Tropical Storm of the season — Alex — as it slowly makes its way toward Florida, according to The Orlando Sentinel. Half of Florida is now under a Tropical Storm Warning, according to the National Hurricane Center.

A 5PM Potential Tropical Storm System 1 advisory was issued Friday afternoon, according to WESH’s Eric Burris. You can take a look at where the storm is heading below.

5pm Potential Tropical System 1 advisory has just been issued; Here's a look… pic.twitter.com/IAEr77UeLr

— Eric Burris (@EricBurrisWESH) June 3, 2022

During an update at 8AM on Friday, June 3rd, the center of the storm was 420 miles southwest of Fort Myers, Florida with 40 mile per hour winds and moving northeast at 6 miles per hour. Tropical-storm-force winds have already been found 60 miles out from the storm’s disorganized center.

As the sun rises this morning, #GOESEast is keeping its eye on Potential Tropical Cyclone #One, a disturbance moving slowly northeastward over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico. Tropical Storm Warnings are now in effect for much of southern and central Florida. pic.twitter.com/WyhkvNbQ5t

— NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) June 3, 2022

“The system is expected to develop a well-defined center and become a tropical storm later today, and some slight strengthening is possible while it approaches Florida today and tonight,” said NHC Senior Hurricane Specialist Robbie Berg on Friday morning, according to The Orlando Sentinel.

Central Florida residents should prepare for heavy rain late Friday into Saturday with a chance of gusty winds and possible tornadoes around the path of the storm, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Kelly. He also said he’s not as concerned about flooding across Orlando, and expects the metro area to see 2 inches of rain at most, according to The Orlando Sentinel.

The National Hurricane Center predicts that tropical force-level winds will begin in the Orlando area Saturday morning around 8AM, with the storm moving out of the area by Sunday evening. If the storm deviates off of its current track toward Central Florida or slows down, the heavy rainfall would increase further north across the area.

So, if you’re planning on being in Disney World this weekend, make sure to come prepared. Bring rain jackets, ponchos, umbrellas, water proof shoes, hats, etc. to help stay dry and do not be surprised if outdoor rides or even EPCOT Flower & Garden booths shut down for bad weather.

The Tropical Storm Warning is currently for the Gulf Coast from the middle of Longboat Key on the Sarasota-Manatee County border south and includes all of the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas. Then it stretches over to Florida’s east coast to the Brevard-Volusia County line and Lake Okeechobee.

Osceola, Brevard, and Polk counties are under an inland Tropical Storm Warning and a flood watch as of noon on Friday, according to the National Weather Service. Those areas might receive 3-5 inches of rain, with some areas getting up to 8 inches of rain. South Florida and the Treasure Coast should expect the heaviest amount of flooding, getting possibly up to 12 inches of rain.

The storm should start to increase in speed later today (Friday) and through Sunday. The system is forecast right now to move across the southeaster Gulf of Mexico through tonight, across the southern and central portions of the Florida Peninsula on Saturday, and then over the southwestern Atlantic north of the northwestern Bahamas Saturday afternoon through Sunday, according to NHC Senior Hurricane Specialist Robbie Berg.

Heavy rains will begin in South Florida and the Keys on Friday and continue through Saturday.

As we said before, if the system does develop into a tropical storm, it will be the first named storm of the season — Alex. After that, some of the names going forward are Bonnie, Colin, Danielle, Earl, Fiona, and Gaston.

Last week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its hurricane season predictions, which is predicting  another above-average Atlantic hurricane season. This would be the 7th consecutive above-average hurricane season. The NOAA is predicting between 14 and 21 named storms, with 6-10 of those becoming hurricanes. For reference, a normal hurricane season has 14 named storms and 7 hurricanes.

Of the hurricanes predicted in 2022, 3-6 could become major hurricanes of Categories 3, 4, or 5, according to Fox 35 Orlando. A “major” hurricane above Category 3 has winds with speeds of 111 MPH or higher. The increased activity for the 2022 hurricane season is due to several factors including things like the ongoing La Niña and warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures, according to the NOAA.

If you have a Disney World trip coming up this hurricane season and are worried you will be affected, make sure to check the weather ahead of time and to have backup plans set in place, including knowing how to handle canceled flights, cancel or move reservations, and reschedule tickets.

Disney World does have a bunch of precautions that they take when a hurricane or tropical storm comes through, like backup generators and in-resort activities if the parks are closed. In 2021, we also saw some restaurants offer hurricane meal kits. The Disney World parks have closed a handful of times in the past for hurricanes, so know that that is a possibility.

Disney World does have precautions in place for hurricane season. During last year’s active season, we saw some restaurants offering hurricane meal kits, and the parks have closed in the past due to extreme weather. Hurricane season will run until November 30th, 2022. Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney World news and updates.

Click here to learn more about the predicted above average hurricane season this year

Have you ever experienced a hurricane at Disney World? Tell us in the comments.