Active Week of Weather On The Way For Disney World

Spring Break crowds are difficult enough to deal with. The Orlando area has seen numerous showers and thunderstorms recently leading to schedule changes and flight delays. Get the details on what to expect this week in Disney World.

Weather Forecast Discussion

Showers and thunderstorms brought schedule changes and flight delays to Orlando last weekend. It looks like we are in for a few more rounds this week as we are watching two storm systems. For Tuesday and Wednesday, system one will move from the Tennessee Valley into the Mid Atlantic.

A strong flow of moisture from the southwest will bring the chance for scattered showers and potentially strong thunderstorms to the Orlando area on both Tuesday and Wednesday. I’ll have more on the severe threat below.

Quickly on the heels of the first system will be a strong cold front that will bring the chance of widespread showers and thunderstorms on Thursday. Above you can see the expected surface map for Thursday morning. The front is approaching Florida from the west, and winds will be gusty on Thursday. Showers and thunderstorms are likely Thursday.

Behind that front, there could still be some lingering showers and thunderstorms on Friday as temperatures cool down. Winds will be brisk behind the front on Friday. The cooling trend will continue into the weekend.

Severe Weather Chances For Florida

The NOAA Storm Prediction Center has placed Orlando in the Marginal Risk category for severe weather on both Tuesday and Wednesday. As you can tell from the images below, the highest chances for severe weather will be to the north of Florida which is good news. However, strong to severe storms are possible each day.

On both Tuesday and Wednesday we have a decent amount of shear present in the atmosphere as well as ample moisture. I wouldn’t be surprised if the yellow slight risk area is shifted a bit towards Florida. Stay tuned.

On Thursday, some isolated severe weather is possible with the cold front. Remember that any thunderstorm can produce gusty winds, frequent lightning, and heavy downpours. Follow any warnings and cast member directions to take shelter.

Flight Impacts

I added this category recently to point out any large-scale impacts on flights getting to and from Orlando. The struggles and impacts on the airline industry in the wake of the pandemic that led to flight cancellations have been well-documented. I’m focusing on the weather impacts.

Last weekend’s storms caused numerous cancellations. The cancellations combined with some technical issues at a few airlines caused delays into Sunday and Monday. Hopefully this week will not be a repeat.

Delays are definitely possible across the deep south on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday, the delays likely will be focused to the entire East Coast of the U.S. including Florida as the strong cold front moves through.

A Look Ahead

An early look at the weekend shows cooler weather behind the front with highs in the 70’s. The good news is that things should be dry. By Monday temperatures should rebound into the 80’s.

Are you headed to Disney World this week? How are you planning to navigate the Spring Break crowds and rain chances? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook!