Talk to me about weather (if you're from the north)

[LuvMy3Monkeys]

We're from Ohio, and the only weather advice I've rec'd is from people who live year round in Florida... which doesn't really help because their hot/cold isn't the same as an Ohioans hot/cold. Soooo... We'll be there the first half of December. School me on what to pack. I have small children, so if it gets chilly I want to be prepared. Jeans? Sweatshirts? Coats? Gloves? Swimsuits? I'm clueless. Are we even going to be able to swim at all? We're staying at CBR, the pool looks awesome, but am I setting myself up for a letdown thinking that we're going to be able to use it??

 

[FlightlessDuck]

According the data I have found, December ranges roughly between the 70's and 50's. So, your average September in the Northeast.

From about.com:

Average high temperature: 72.9
Average low temperature: 51.3
Average precipitation: 2.15
Average humidity (1pm): 57
Record high (1978): 90
Record low (1983): 20

From Intercot:
Dec 2009
Dec 2008
Dec 2007

 

[DLB]

We were at disney the first week of dec last year. The kudos an dh swam while I enjoyed to hot tub .

We wore shorts most days, the last day we were there we wore pants and sweatshirts in the morning, but tshirts underneath and by lunch we were out of sweatshirt.

I am from CT, so for us, it was pretty warm for dec! We are already in sweaters and winter coats here now.

Hope that helps a little?

 

[Tinker Pam]

Hi. I live in Buchanan MI which is about 20min North of South Bend IN. We were there the first week in Dec last year and found the weather perfect. Hi 50's to mid 60 at night low 70s during the day. We used a light weight jacket sometimes in the early morning. Never needed gloves or heavy coat. DS wore shorts and sometimes long pants but mainly because the air on some of the rides and reasturants was chilly. We also swam every night. The pools are heated and to us the 60deg air was pleasant. Enjoy your trip.

 

[Mrs D]

You need to pack all of the above including swim suits abd shorts. We were there Dec 11-18 '09- there were record highs in the mid 80s and I didn't pack any shorts (the forecast before we left didn't indicate those temps). We wore lots of jeans and short sleeve shirts and added long sleeves and fleece jackets for the evening. We didn't use the gloves & hats but I'd still pack them. Seriously in Dec you should be prepared for anything (don't forget rain).
HTH!

 

[Nadjalu]

I am from southern Michigan. We went last year the first week of Dec.

I packed mostly summer clothes, but a couple pairs of jeans each and a jacket. We bought long sleeve t-shirts at Design a tee.

A bit of history on us to compare....I am in shorts until it hits the low 60's up here. Usually I will wear short sleeves as well and carry a very light jacket just in case.
I don't switch to "fall" clothes until it hits the 50's.

So here is what we did on that vacation:
During the day we wore shorts and tees, at night we put our jackets on. The last night we were there we did use the long sleeve tee and jeans as it was in the high 50's.

It is hard to know what to pack, I understand. As what we consider cool most Floridians are freezing. LOL (I know my bff lives in orlando)

My recommendation is take both warm weather clothes and a couple cooler clothes. The jacket was the most important thing for us because you can remove it or wear it.

Have fun!!!

 

[g-dad66]

It can vary a lot.

We were there December 10-16 last year, and we had two days with highs in the 60's, and the other days got to 80 or higher. One day was 85, and it was almost too hot for me!

You'll want to check the weather forecast just before you leave, and even then, you can only trust it for 2-3 days out. Any forecast beyond that is subject to change, sometimes BIG change.

 

[terbethk]

We went the very beginning of December in 2008 and it was VERY VERY COLD!
We wore jeans and sweatshirts everyday.
I wore flip flops, which were comfortable, but my feet were FREEZING!
At some points of the day I wore a winter hat and gloves.
During the MVMCP I bought a fleece blanket and wore it around me the whole night I was so cold.
We never swam, but I did actually see a few people in the pools at our resort.

 

[DisneyWisher]

Floridian chiming in (I lived outside Rochester, NY from '97-'99, wanted to experience the seasons). My advice watch the weather channel and I don't mean the website. If the jetstream is doing to dip lower than
Central Florida it will get cold. 2003 a cold front I wasn't expecting blew through and dropped us to the 40's. The kids might need gloves, just grab those cheap $1 ones at Walmart or Target. This weekend it's going to be high 60's and lows in the 40's, it's only November.
When a cold front is coming if they don't show it as even hitting South Texas we don't worry because most will stall.
I love the cold weather and I was shocked to see people in shorts and tshirts in 50 degree weather when living up north. But we were always told that 50 degrees in NY is not as cold as 50 degrees in FL. Family members that lived in Buffalo said it's more bone chilling here. Their words not mine.

 

[ChrisLMW]

I'm so glad you posted this question. We are from Eastern Canada and eveytime I read about people wearing mittens in Dec at Disney I thought "Whoa" even we don't always need mittens here in Dec. I was beginning to think we would be cold the entire time we were there. I really want to see Disney at Christmas but we are also looking forward to "going south". It was great to get the perspective of people from the north.
50 degrees is cool but we don't pull out the mittens for that and 80 degrees is definitely pool weather so we'll be packing the swimsuits and leaving the mittens at home.

 

[MHSweb79]

We are from Rhode Island and have been the first week in December twice. We're going again this year and I plan to bring jeans and shorts, as well as a couple of hoodies. We'll have our heavy coats with us since it will be cold at home.

The last two times we experienced very chilly weather in the morning (40's and 50's) so we wore jackets and jeans. By 11am, it was in the 70's and humid. We ended up watching the weather to decide if we should head out in shorts or jeans, and how heavy a jacket to wear in the a.m.

My DD and DH did swim a couple of times and it was hilarious. There were a few folks in the pool, watched over by CM's in hats, winter coats and gloves. Really? Winter coats at 68 degrees?

We were at AK last March, just after the bitter cold snap that hit the region. The temps barely got out of the 50's and we were freezing! I don't know if it was the damp or the wind chill, but 50's at home and 50's in Orlando were two completely different experiences.

 

[disneychic2]

I second ChrisLMW's sentiment. Thanks for asking this question! I'm also from Ohio and will be going the first week of Dec. so this is good information. I wear short sleeves or 3/4 sleeves all winter long, so sounds like I'll be okay. Wasn't planning to pack shorts, but now I will for sure! Thanks for the great advise!

 

[msmith07101]

Hello!! I am in southern Ohio and went last year, mid December. It was cold...especially early in the morning and in the evenings. We needed coats and gloves. During the day with the sun it felt better...i think one or two days we could take off our jackets/coats. I think it is hit or miss. You just need to check the weather before you leave. But be prepared to bring clothing for both warm and cold weather! We stayed at CBR last December too, and the pool is fantastic. But honestly...I know they say it is heated, but I got in and didn't stay in. My 13 year old son went in for awhile and used the slides, but even he was cold. I have pictures and video of the lifeguards at the pool all bundled up like it is snowing or something! Now, i don't think it was THAT cold, but it was chilly...50's and maybe into the 60's during the day. I am heading down again this December, same time frame, and I am prepared to bring both cold and warm weather clothes. But Iwill check the forecast just before we leave.
Have a great trip!

 

[vcgirl925]

I'm from NJ so it gets really cold here too, similar to Ohio.

I'd just check the forecast before you go. You are going to need to wear coats to the airport anyway, so just bring them with you just in case. I'd bring light pants during the day or shorts and pants/jeans for at night. Plus a sweatshirt.

 

[AmberHeartsDisney]

Day time we had on shorts, night time i changed to pants. and had a light jacket.

 

[HelenParr]

We're from New England, and have been to WDW several times in December. It varies so much, you need to pack for warm or cold. We take twice as much stuff in winter than in spring or summer trips.

The nights can often be very cold, even for Northerners, and some nights you'll need a jacket (maybe even light gloves/mittens for the little ones). This is most notable when you are standing around for fireworks, Osborne Family Lights, or the processional at Epcot -- the just standing at night gets cold fast. We bought several Disney hoodies, jackets, and some very cute mittens during our learning curve.

Having said that, we have always been able to use the pool, at least some. And it is way less crowded! Days are usually shorts (sometimes jeans if you hit a cooler patch), and usually a sweatshirt over t-shirt. Layers help.

Have a great trip!

 

[mjamm]

Agree with everyone above! We were there in November last trip and we needed a little of everything. We live in Minnesota, so we are use to the colder nights, and my kids did swim because 70's in November are really warm for us!

So we did as what all the previous posters said, warmer clothes in the early mornings, shorts and t-shirts through out the day, and then warmer clothes at night again. We never needed hats or mittens, but I guess that just depends on the kids too. We did see some people with them on. Hope that helps! Have a great trip!

 

[Turkey Lurkey]

We're from northern WI/MN and were there in January a few years ago. It was rainy and fairly chilly while we were there, but we never wore anything heavier than a windbreaker and a pair of jeans (while most CMs were in parkas, lol!). We did go swimming one of the nights and did wear shorts most of the days and were quite comfortable throughout.

Go prepared as you would for an average (possibly rainy) fall vacation back home and you should be okay.


TL

 

[Colleen27]

Look at wunderground.com and click on Trip Planner. It will let you pull up historical weather information for your dates going back more than a decade.

Last December, we landed in the middle of a heat wave. We left windchills in the teens here in Michigan and arrived in FL to 80+ and sunny. The first few days were quite warm and we swam every evening and spent a whole day at Blizzard Beach; by the end of the trip we were wearing jeans and hoodies, and we actually wore our winter coats to Wishes on our last night there.

 

[tobikaye]

I'm from Ohio and I went to WDW in early December, but it was 2001. The temperatures were enough that I was comfortable in jeans and t-shirts. I did pack a jacket and long sleves, but did not really need them.

BUT... I drove down and I need those as I got more North and closer to home.

If you are driving, just through an extra small bag in the car with hats/gloves. If you are flying, you might need them on the way to/from the airport when you get back. Maybe stow them in a carry on just in case.