How much rain to plan for???

[JenniferFolsomCa]

Just looked at the weather, we arrive this week on Wed and it looks like a LOT of rain my future...

Is it mostly just afternoon showers or on and off? Wondering if I should bother with umbrellas?

Any thoughts?

Do crowds at least thin out with the rain?

Jenn

 

[Brittanymcg]

Wondering same! We arrive over the weekend! Im prepared for it with ponchos,water proof shoes for us! Fingers crossed its not monsoon rains!

Good luck and enjoy!

 

[xoSonya]

I'm here now (week of 5/20) and yes, it is wet. Stay out of the parks wet? No. Just make sure to pack some rain gear and power thru.

This is my first trip so I might be living off of First Time Disney fumes, but I am having a great time. The rain is not an all day/all night occurrence, but when it comes down, it does pour. Most rides at Animal Kingdom were walk-ons. FOP was like 70-100 minutes. Not bad.

Have fun!

 

[CAS239]

Off and on brief showers. If I were in the parks I'd bring a windbreaker with a hoody on it and Nike DriFit material type of clothing to dry quick if it got wet

 

[OnSpaceshipEarth]

I'm here now (week of 5/20) and yes, it is wet. Stay out of the parks wet? No. Just make sure to pack some rain gear and power thru.

This is my first trip so I might be living off of First Time Disney fumes, but I am having a great time. The rain is not an all day/all night occurrence, but when it comes down, it does pour. Most rides at Animal Kingdom were walk-ons. FOP was like 70-100 minutes. Not bad.

Have fun!

That's a great attitude to have. I've been feeling for those that have been taking their vacations there these past couple of weeks with all this rain. So glad to see you aren't letting it ruin your fun!

 

[Klayfish]

It normally doesn't rain all day, even with the weather pattern going on right now. But as noted, when it rains, it rains. You're going to get a little wet, it is what it is. Just have the right attitude and you'll be fine.

I know some people bring them, but I'd suggest not going with an umbrella. WDW is pretty crowded in general, having an open umbrella can just add to the challenges of a crowd. Use ponchos.

 

[PamNC]

I just posted a thread asking the same question. should have scrolled down to see this. If it's intermittent rain showers, even big ones, I'm fine with it. Just don't want the all day stuff. I'm there Friday and through the weekend and I'm staying with a friend so I can switch my trip but I want to come SOOOO badly. If it's not all day I can hang. I think a small umbrella will work better for me - those ponchos make me nuts.

 

[soccermom54]

Just back from my annual birthday trip to WDW. We packed umbrellas and ponchos in a backpack with our water and protein bars. We used the umbrellas but not the ponchos; glad we had them for just in case. WDW is wonderful regardless of the weather, just be prepared and have a wonderful time

 

[blackpearl77]

We just got back yesterday. We were there for a week and it rained everyday. Two of our days were sunny in the morning. All the other days it rained all day. We wore ponchos and crocs. I think this is an unusual storm since I always thought May was a dry month (other than the usual afternoon quicky storm and these were definitely not a quick storm). But it poured - the puddles were deep! So I was glad to have crocs. And the crowds didn't get any lighter - I think everyone was like we're here so let's make the best of it. It was a sea of ponchos. The monorail line friday night in the downpour was over an hour long! They did cancel fantasmic shows but the magic kingdom fireworks still went on every night. They also closed one water park each day so they only had one open (they alternated days on which one they closed). We tried to make the best of it - still went on every ride in every park just had our ponchos on. Didn't get much pool time which is what we wanted. Did go in the pool in the rain and so did everyone else. Just kept getting out when lightning came. It was like the rain storm was just circling over florida the whole time. Maybe May is going to be the old June now? Rainy season starting early? Dang that climate change! And the beginning of last week was in the low seventies - I had to buy a sweatshirt! Strange weather pattern - the whole east coast had that rain.

 

[sbd78]

Does anyone have any idea how long this weather pattern is supposed to last?

 

[AngiTN]

I'd consult your Magic 8 Ball.

In all seriousness, it is impossible to answer this question.

No one knows how much rain to plan for. Other than Mother Nature, and she won't spill the beans

 

[ErinsMommy]

We're arriving Friday morning and leaving the following Tuesday. Has anyone encountered any airport delays in incoming or outgoing flights?

 

[FCDub]

We're arriving Friday morning and leaving the following Tuesday. Has anyone encountered any airport delays in incoming or outgoing flights?

Unless there are major thunder and lightning storms, planes take off and land in rain all the time.

 

[blackpearl77]

We're arriving Friday morning and leaving the following Tuesday. Has anyone encountered any airport delays in incoming or outgoing flights?

Ours was delayed because of lightning. We sat on the runway for an hour! There were 7 planes lined up in a row! Good thing for the tvs on jet blue - we just watched the free movie while waiting!

 

[xoSonya]

Today was my Hollywood Studios day. Sunny. Warm. Beautiful. The weather forecast for Florida is a fickle beast. I'm still having fun. By the way, HS is not my kids' favorite park, by far. In fact, we probably should've skipped this park. TSMM was fun, as was TOT, but the wait for shows just frustrated my kids. If it weren't for Fantasmic and Jedi Training, I would've been ok missing this. Just in case you're wondering, Mama Melrose was DELICIOUS!

 

[BalooFan]

I have been here a few days. The rain has been on and off and not just in the afternoon. It has been mostly light but there have been periods of heavy rain. So far, today has been mostly dry. I carried an umbrella until yesterday afternoon, but a poncho was sufficient and the umbrella was just more to carry. The parks do tend to thin out in the rain and an added bonus is that people aren’t walking around with their faces in their phones and not paying attention to where they are walking. Also, I have been following the forecast and it is in constant flux! There is no way to plan for this, even from hour to hour. Rainproof yourself as much as possible and enjoy your trip!

 

[jmoak]

We arrive on Thursday so I have been checking the forecast as well...It looks as though a tropical disturbance is brewing in the Gulf starting this weekend...So, I'm afraid that the predicted rain this weekend and into next week is not your normal afternoon showers. It will most likely be a heavy rain event that will last several days. That's at least what I am seeing right now. However, the weather is unpredictable so you never know. We will come prepared with ponchos and umbrellas and do the best we can!! Hopefully that will thin the parks out while we are there...but not shut down many rides!!!

 

[TheRealTeal]

I second the poncho over umbrella recommendation. I've tried to deal with an umbrella in the parks and it's just awful. This past saturday I tried out wearing water shoes for the first time, that's something i'll be sticking with for rainy trips for sure! Didn't have to worry about wet socks/shoes, or slipping around in plastic/rubber shoes. It was great.

As a FL resident, most of the state has been experiencing all day on-and-off showers and downpours for the last week, and they're telling us it will last at least through memorial weekend. That said, FL forecasts aren't to be trusted 100%, not even for that day. It's not usually like this at this point in the year, so it's a little hard to tell.