Help! Mostly rainy end of March- advice, please!

[Carlymouse]

Hi everyone! We will be in the AK area of WDS during the last week in March, when it is projected to be mostly stormy. Of course, I'd planned on bringing ponchos since it's FL, but now that it may be mostly rain, I'm considering if I should make additional plans for extra rain gear or anything. Anyone have experience with trips during this time of year when there is a lot of rain? Is it periodic throughout the day or more constant? How have you prepared? thanks!

 

[sponica]

I think that's still too far away. Heck my forecast ON MONDAY for where I live said it was going to rain all day today....while it's not sunny, it definitely ain't raining.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

@Carlymouse - Hey, I hit a wrong button and accidentally moved your post to the Transportation board. I’ve asked @goofy4tink to move it to the right place. Sorry about that!

 

[Carlymouse]

I think that's still too far away. Heck my forecast ON MONDAY for where I live said it was going to rain all day today....while it's not sunny, it definitely ain't raining.

To be honest, I hadn't even looked until my husband texted me about this, and I thought the same thing- it could be totally different a week from now, but I thought I'd ask anyway so that I can think about it more in case there isn't a big change by next Friday when I'll pack!

 

[Minnie824]

we're headed to the beach for spring break that week too so i have been watching the weather as well. every year its 85 and sunny so i am hoping this will change in the next week.

 

[skippytx]

We always bring rain friendly clothes and shoes to the parks on days it might rain. Shoes are the biggest thing as you can't really stop your feet from getting wet. I don't do sandals, so i have some Columbia boat/fishing shoes that deal with water with no problem. My wife wears her Chacos. We carry Columbia rain jackets that store compactly into their own little pouch when not being used, and wear synthetic quick dry shorts (more Columbia gear). If it looks like it might rain we carry our rain shoes in our backpacks with our jackets and swap shoes out if needed. We carry a water resistant backpack and keep some ziploc bags in there for my wallet and her cross body just in case if needed. If the forecast doesn't call for rain, we leave the rain gear in the room.

Shoes are the biggest thing though. I always bring 3 pairs of shoes to WDW with me. 2 pairs of running shoes that I rotate days in (and have a spare in case they get wet), and the Columbia boat shoes for wet weather.

You never know what you'll get with FL weather. Sometimes a huge storm will just rip right through quickly and dump a huge amount of water but be over in an hour or two. Other days you get an all day drizzle.

 

[sam1998]

It's Florida, so rain isn't uncommon. Pack ponchos, some dry shoes if you want, and go with the flow. Florida often gets afternoon showers. Sometimes rain all day (but not as often).

Zip lock bags for wallet, phones, etc are handy. I prefer disposable ponchos so I am not trying to carry wet raincoats.

We will be there the last week of March as well and that is our plan!

 

[MooseBucks]

Extra shoes or rubber flip flops are good to pack incase... gallon zip locks for your stuff that you can then put in a back pack or whatever. We bring this stuff every trip because, Florida, but anything small that will make you more comfortable IF it storms would be helpful.

 

[MooseBucks]

Lots of extra cheap ponchos - as wasteful as it is we only use them at a Disney and are a huge life saver without the bulk of rain gear to having to carry wet coats etc

 

[NYCgrrl]

I have a umbrella that folds down small enough to fit in my wristlet which is a bit over 11" in width (had it custom made to my specs at a shop in Philly; reasonably priced too). Of late I prefer it over a poncho unless I'm on certain water rides. The man and kiddos prefer the ponchos and nobody uses the waterproof cases I bought them for their phones; still in the blister packs. Like PPs, my experience with rain in FL is it's an on and off type thing most of the time.

 

[Elizakapeka]

embrace the rain, we have had 2 very unusually cold/rainy june and september trips. I realized after the first rainy trip, to be ready for anything and to embrace the rain. we even skipped ponchos but carried dry shoes and waterproof cases for phone/wallets. Whatever you do try as hard as you can to enjoy yourself, you spent way too much money to let rain spoil your fun, jump in a puddle, giggle at all the people hunkered down while you dance in the rain. It really is too far out to be worried, I will pray to the weather gods you have great weather.

 

[MooseBucks]

embrace the rain, we have had 2 very unusually cold/rainy june and september trips. I realized after the first rainy trip, to be ready for anything and to embrace the rain. we even skipped ponchos but carried dry shoes and waterproof cases for phone/wallets. Whatever you do try as hard as you can to enjoy yourself, you spent way too much money to let rain spoil your fun, jump in a puddle, giggle at all the people hunkered down while you dance in the rain. It really is too far out to be worried, I will pray to the weather gods you have great weather.

Great advice! Embrace it and enjoy

 

[OKW Lover]

We will be in the AK area of WDS during the last week in March, when it is projected to be mostly stormy.

Don't know where you are getting that info. Typically the end of March is pretty good weather-wise. Yes, there may be a brief afternoon thunderstorm, but those typically don't start in the WDW area until June.

 

[Carlymouse]

embrace the rain, we have had 2 very unusually cold/rainy june and september trips. I realized after the first rainy trip, to be ready for anything and to embrace the rain. we even skipped ponchos but carried dry shoes and waterproof cases for phone/wallets. Whatever you do try as hard as you can to enjoy yourself, you spent way too much money to let rain spoil your fun, jump in a puddle, giggle at all the people hunkered down while you dance in the rain. It really is too far out to be worried, I will pray to the weather gods you have great weather.

Great advice! Embrace it and enjoy

Thanks! lol We definitely WILL enjoy, regardless. Luckily, I do a lot of planning for fast passes and such to make sure that we can do a lot of fun things regardless of the factors we can't control, and we're pretty laid back. We are staying at AKL, also, so there will be a lot there, too. We were in WDW a year from this past NYE for the terrible cold snap- after day 1 we had long underwear and our Chicago winter coats on every day, but it was still a great trip. DH gave that trip a B+, with only the weather knocking it out of the A range.

 

[dizneefan13]

When we were there last October we got a heavy, very windy rainstorm several days in a row. They lasted from half an hour to an hour. It absolutely poured!!! And the wind made it even worse. We kept an eye on the weather app. But before the skies would open up, you could tell it was coming because of the way the clouds moved in and the way they looked. Depending on where we were, we had an idea of where we could duck in to stay dry on short notice. This helped a lot.

 

[writerguyfl]

I'm not sure where you're getting your forecast, but I don't think it's accurate. Here's a long range forecast for the last two weeks of March 2019. The third column is the important one: Precipitation.

Source: https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/lake-buena-vista-fl/32830/month/2257551?view=table

 

[Carlymouse]

I'm not sure where you're getting your forecast, but I don't think it's accurate. Here's a long range forecast for the last two weeks of March 2019. The third column is the important one: Precipitation.

Source: https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/lake-buena-vista-fl/32830/month/2257551?view=table

I think I need to stop using my weather.com app! Excited to see the accuweather report!

 

[writerguyfl]

Florida weather tends to be quite different than other places due to the sub-tropical climate. It's pretty rare for use to get all-day rain. It's usually concentrated in shorter spurts.

Plus, the saying "when it rains, it pours" definitely applies in many cases. A severe thunderstorm can bring a LOT of rain all at once. Duck and cover when the thunderstorms come and (hopefully) the rain will pass through and you can continue your day at the theme park.

 

[tzolkin]

I'm not sure where you're getting your forecast, but I don't think it's accurate.

This is what’s on the weather channel app. And when you click on details it shows rain both day and night, so not just one passing afternoon storm.

Florida weather tends to be quite different than other places due to the sub-tropical climate. It's pretty rare for use to get all-day rain. It's usually concentrated in shorter spurts.

It’s rare, but it’s unfortunate when it happens during your trip and you are unprepared. DH and I both grew up in FL so we are familiar with the 10 minute afternoon downpour, but for our second family vacation with our kids there were record rains (plus flooding and tornadoes) for the duration of the trip. Even if I had seen a forecast of rain, I never would have expected constant downpours for 12 days straight.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

This is Florida...rain is a strange, but common occurence here. We'll have forecasts for strong thunderstorms in the 70% range the day before...and that day comes and nothing. Then...they will forecast light ran with a 20% probability and it freaking rains cats and dogs.....for maybe 10 minutes! You just learn to adjust and "go with the flow". Bring the ponchos and dip into a shop if starts raining too hard. Do indoor rides and just enjoy it, because I'm going to guarantee you, unless it's a forecast for an upcoming hurricane, it won't last long.