Welcome to Hurricane Season 2024
When the calendar turns to June, an auspicious moment arrives.
Hurricane season begins in our part of the world, and that news has countless coastal residents holding their collective breath.
![Hurricane Lee Near bermuda](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Hurricane-Lee-Near-bermuda-.png)
![Hurricane Lee Near bermuda](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Hurricane-Lee-Near-bermuda-.png)
Photo: CNN || Hurricane Lee 2023
We never quite know what form a hurricane season will take. Last year was relatively calm, but 2022’s Hurricane Ian was unforgettable.
What should we expect this year? Sadly, as our Madison Owens discussed two months ago, it’s looking rough.
Welcome to hurricane season 2024. You should probably check your insurance coverage before you read the grim news.
About Hurricane Season and Disney
![Hurricane](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/hurricane-palm-trees.jpg)
![Hurricane](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/hurricane-palm-trees.jpg)
Photo: Str/Xinhua/Zuma || Hurricane Ian 2022
I’m a weather skeptic by nature. Should a weatherperson suggest a sunny day, I’ll probably pack an umbrella.
My wife, a self-proclaimed weather nerd, believes in all the science and data, but I’ve been burned too many times before.
So, I don’t trust predictions about tomorrow’s weather, much less what will occur through the end of November.
Still, I try to learn from history, and recent years have shown an alarming trend toward more serious weather events.
![Hurricane Matthew](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/08hurricane-video-superJumbo.jpg)
![Hurricane Matthew](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/08hurricane-video-superJumbo.jpg)
Photo: NY Times || Hurricane Matthew 2022
I wrote this piece before the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, and while the number of named storms proved average, the ferocity was anything but.
Hurricane Ian caused an estimated $113 billion in damage and dramatically impacted Disney vacations.
That topic will be the focus of this update. None of us can do anything about the weather.
Disney officials can, though. Management has grown proactive in closing the parks early and creating safeguards in crisis situations.
![Key Messages for Hurricane Idalia as of 11 p.m. EST August 29th, 2023](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/hurricaneidaliakeymessagestuesdayaugust29th.png)
![Key Messages for Hurricane Idalia as of 11 p.m. EST August 29th, 2023](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/hurricaneidaliakeymessagestuesdayaugust29th.png)
Credit: NOAA
For instance, Hurricane Idalia forced some closures as a precautionary measure, and there was a fear about Hurricane Lee, too.
Disney won’t risk your health by operating the parks during extreme weather.
That’s the right decision because one Universal Orlando Resort attraction, Jurassic Park River Adventure, lost part of a wall in 2022!
Also, if you’ve seen the movie Twister, you know that any flying object becomes a weapon in 100+ MPH winds.
Not coincidentally, Cast Members will spend the days before a hurricane tying down any loose objects. It’s a whole thing.
![Hurricane Idalia orbital view](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1.webp)
![Hurricane Idalia orbital view](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1.webp)
Credit: NOAA via The New York Times
The point is that Disney will do whatever it takes to guarantee your safety during a park visit.
About Disney in Hurricane Season
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/disney-hurricane-dorian-2019-2.jpg)
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/disney-hurricane-dorian-2019-2.jpg)
Image Credit: Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Sometimes, Disney closes the parks or at least shuts them down a few hours early for your safety.
That’s part of the reason why you must keep up with hurricane season. The other reason is that the airline may cancel your flight.
One of the saddest people I’ve ever seen in my life was sitting in a Longhorn Steakhouse.
She saw my wife’s bag of Disney Store merch and confided to us that it was her birthday, and she was supposed to be at Disney.
![Magic Kingdom in the rain](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2024-wdw-mk-magic-kingdom-weather-rain-storm-1.jpg)
![Magic Kingdom in the rain](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2024-wdw-mk-magic-kingdom-weather-rain-storm-1.jpg)
Magic Kingdom in the rain
Inclement weather fully canceled that trip. We wound up giving her a Lilo doll to cheer her up, and this was a grown woman, not a child.
Disney fans take these things hard, and park officials know that. So, Disney will walk a fine line in safeguarding you.
Generally, Disney loosens cancellation policies and helps people modify or even reschedule vacations.
As such, you never need to worry about traveling to Disney during hurricane season.
You can trust Disney to take care of you if the worst arises.
Alas, should you live in Florida, I’d strongly encourage you to read this article.
![Hurricane Idalia projected path as of August 27th, 2023](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/230827113341-weather-tropical-storm-idalia-11a-track.jpg)
![Hurricane Idalia projected path as of August 27th, 2023](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/230827113341-weather-tropical-storm-idalia-11a-track.jpg)
CNN
Some people are rolling the dice on hurricane insurance, and they really, really shouldn’t.
You’ll also notice that I’m focusing on Walt Disney World here.
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2024-wdw-mk-magic-kingdom-cinderella-castle-main-street-rain-storm-weather-1-3-scaled.jpg)
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2024-wdw-mk-magic-kingdom-cinderella-castle-main-street-rain-storm-weather-1-3-scaled.jpg)
Storm in Magic Kingdom
That’s due to the extreme rarity of such weather in California.
Tropical Storm Hilary once appeared to be a potential hurricane, which left historians checking the record books.
According to some services, this would have been the first hurricane to make landfall in Southern California since 1939!
That’s why we worry more about Central Florida than Anaheim.
![Hurricane Idalia projection August 29th](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/hurricaneidaliaconeaugust29th.png)
![Hurricane Idalia projection August 29th](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/hurricaneidaliaconeaugust29th.png)
Credit: NOAA || Hurricane Idalia 2023
One has a track record, while the other would be borderline unprecedented.
Hurricane Season 2024
In recent years, hurricane season projections have proven accurate enough that I must bite my tongue regarding their accuracy.
Past a certain point, the weather forecasters are right, and I’m wrong about their accuracy. That’s been the case lately.
Weather experts have predicted a heavy volume of named storms for several straight years.
In other words, these are the storms that meteorologists believe could turn into hurricanes.
So, we would rather have fewer named storms. Alas, we haven’t been that lucky lately, and 2024 is shaping up with more of the same.
On Thursday, May 23rd, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) made a prediction, and you’re not gonna like it.
![2022 hurricane season](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screen-Shot-2022-05-19-at-8.08.03-AM.png)
![2022 hurricane season](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screen-Shot-2022-05-19-at-8.08.03-AM.png)
Photo: NOAA
The organization believes “the 2024 hurricane season has an 85% chance of being above normal, forecasting a range of 17 to 25 total named storms.
“Of those, eight to 13 are expected to become hurricanes.” So, yeah. That’s worrisome.
![Weather happens in Disney World](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2024-wdw-mk-magic-kingdom-weather-rain-storm-clouds-cinderella-castle8-scaled.jpg)
![Weather happens in Disney World](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2024-wdw-mk-magic-kingdom-weather-rain-storm-clouds-cinderella-castle8-scaled.jpg)
Weather happens in Disney World
The 2023 total of 20 named storms ranked fourth all-time. In the average year, we only receive 14 named storms.
So, if 2024’s named storms merely fall in the middle of the 17-to-25 guess, we’re talking about 21 named storms.
That’s more than last year and 50 percent more (!) than average.
Then, we have the matter of the hurricanes. Presuming meteorologists are right – and we all hope they aren’t – that’s potentially 10+ hurricanes.
The odds of none of those 10+ hurricanes impacting a Disney vacation are decidedly low.
As such, we should all monitor the weather this hurricane season, especially as Fall approaches.
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