Disney World is no stranger to extreme weather.

Seriously, it can be ridiculously hot (like, triple-digit temperatures, y’all) and we’ve seen some pretty intense storms in the past. Hurricanes do impact Disney World, and the parks can shut down. Since Disney World is in Florida, this is no surprise, but it can greatly alter your vacation. And now, as the 2022 hurricane season officially starts, we could already be about to experience the first storm.

Today (June 1st) is the first day of hurricane season for 2022 and there is a storm system off of the coast of Florida that has a chance of developing into a tropical depression and possibly a tropical storm by the weekend, according to The National Hurricane Center. As of Wednesday morning, chances of development are at 80-percent over the next 5 days, according to Fox 35 Orlando.

The storm is near the Yucatan Peninsula and the Southeastern Gulf of Mexico, and is projected to develop and pass through Florida this weekend. But, as of this writing, it’s still too early to tell where exactly the storm will go. However, it does seem likely that South Florida should have a rainy weekend, according to Spectrum News 13.

If the system does develop into a tropical storm, it will be the first named storm of the season — Alex. After that, some of the names going forward are Bonnie, Colin, Danielle, Earl, Fiona, and Gaston.

Last week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its hurricane season predictions, which is predicting  another above-average Atlantic hurricane season. This would be the 7th consecutive above-average hurricane season. The NOAA is predicting between 14 and 21 named storms, with 6-10 of those becoming hurricanes. For reference, a normal hurricane season has 14 named storms and 7 hurricanes.

Of the hurricanes predicted in 2022, 3-6 could become major hurricanes of Categories 3, 4, or 5, according to Fox 35 Orlando. A “major” hurricane above Category 3 has winds with speeds of 111 MPH or higher. The increased activity for the 2022 hurricane season is due to several factors including things like the ongoing La Niña and warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures, according to the NOAA.

If you have a Disney World trip coming up this hurricane season and are worried you will be affected, make sure to check the weather ahead of time and to have backup plans set in place, including knowing how to handle canceled flights, cancel or move reservations, and reschedule tickets.

Disney World does have a bunch of precautions that they take when a hurricane or tropical storm comes through, like backup generators and in-resort activities if the parks are closed. In 2021, we also saw some restaurants offer hurricane meal kits. The Disney World parks have closed a handful of times in the past for hurricanes, so know that that is a possibility.

Disney World does have precautions in place for hurricane season. During last year’s active season, we saw some restaurants offering hurricane meal kits, and the parks have closed in the past due to extreme weather. Hurricane season will run until November 30th, 2022. Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney World news and updates.

Click here to learn more about the predicted above average hurricane season this year

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Have you ever experienced a hurricane at Disney World? Tell us in the comments.

The post NEWS: A Potential Tropical Storm Could Impact Florida This Weekend first appeared on the disney food blog.