Though our weather station and web site were originally intended to provide ourselves a one-stop Weather Central, so to speak, we are well aware that our area is a hub of tourist and visitor activity. With that in mind, we offer the following information.
Where is the Disney area?
Orlando TV says there is no rain, but it's raining here at the park. Why?
Contrary to popular belief even of those who have been here before, Walt Disney World is not located in Orlando. You may have flown into or out of that airport, however. Because Walt Disney World is not located in Orlando, the weather may differ significantly between the two areas at any given time, particularly regarding rainfall. See the map below.
The Tree of Life at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom is 19 air miles southwest of downtown Orlando and 18 air miles west-southwest of Orlando International Airport. (And that red speck is our location.)
As you can tell by the map, Walt Disney World is a big place. Disney property covers approximately 47 square miles, and though most of it is/would be in Orange county, it actually spans the line between two counties, Orange and Osceola. Because of Disney's county spanning, the Reedy Creek Improvement District was formed as a quasi-governmental entity. You may see Reedy Creek signage on the fire trucks and ambulances serving the Disney hotels and parks. If you have a vehicle accident on Disney property you may meet an Osceola County sheriff's deputy, an Orange County sheriff's deputy, a Florida Highway Patrol trooper, or a Walt Disney World Security member. You are most likely to meet at least two of the group in case of any incident.
From a weather information standpoint, it is good to remember that we and Disney are located in the northwest corner of Osceola county and the southwest corner of Orange county (remember the overlap), near the intersection of Lake and Polk counties. The term 'four corners' would not be inappropriate. The purple dot in the graphic above shows the approximate location of Disney property with relation to the county lines; Orlando central is about where the "5" of "045" is. The numbers are the code numbers the National Weather Service uses to identify specific areas. Osceola county is FLZ053, or, Florida Zone 53.
Because our weather patterns tend to develop from the west and south, we typically monitor Osceola county. Advisories and alerts for Osceola county will automatically be displayed at the top of this site's home page. During hurricane season we monitor the best, and often multiple, county information and alerts at the time as storms approach.
As far as we know, we are the closest private, and possibly the closest of any, weather station to Disney property. We may be wrong about that, but here are the numbers, bearing in mind the size of Disney property. Our weather station is located a 267 yards (244 meters) from the Osceola-Orange county line, in Osceola county.
Notable direct distances from our weather station are:- Downtown Disney Cirque du Soleil - 2.5 mi
- EPCOT Lagoon - 3.9 mi
- Disney Studios Sorcerer's Hat - 4.2 mi
- Sea World Shamu Stadium - 4.7 mi
- Animal Kingdom Tree of Life - 6 mi
- Magic Kingdom Cinderella's Castle - 7.4 mi.
Weather for Visitors
Airport Weather Reporting: The closest airport to this station and to the Disney area is Kissimmee Gateway Airport (KISM); KISM does not offer commercial service. Farther away is the one which most visitors transit, Orlando International Airport (KMCO). Farther yet, 18 miles northeast of Orlando, is another used by many visitors, OrlandoSanford International Airport (KSFB)
National Weather Service Radar: Service in the Orlando area is typically from commercially owned sites and from NWS Melbourne (MLB), but the NWS Tampa (TPA) radar also covers basically the same area. The real difference between the two is their range over the water. Tampa will show more westward over the Gulf of Mexico and Melbourne radar will show more eastward out over the Atlantic Ocean, but both totally cover the Central Florida area.
- A tip for reading a map or looking at weather radar: Bay Lake is the lake in front of (or behind?) Disney's Contemporary Resort, the large cement resort hotel across the street and east of Magic Kingdom. The lagoon directly in front and south of Magic Kingdom, Seven Seas Lagoon, is not usually named on non-Disney media.
Lightning! Statistics show that the area of the most lightning activity in the United States is the Central Florida area, and further delineates the area to be that between Tampa and Orlando. Want to scroll back up and take another look at that little map snippet? Lightning activity is more common in summer than in winter, but we have more than our share any way you count it.
Summer Weather: Conditions are typically hot and humid and lines at tourist attractions tend to be long. UV levels can be high even through September. Visitors should pay close attention to hydration levels and strongly consider ample use of sunscreening, either by location, clothing, or lotion. Amusement parks tend to sell a lot of tourist-priced sunscreen products to unprepared visitors and local pharmacies sell pain relief products to those who failed to take proper precautions. Dehydration and sunburn are a not so uncommon interference in an otherwise enjoyable vacation.
Winter Weather: Temperatures are moderate by most standards, calling for light sweaters or jackets mainly in the evenings. However, amusement parks sell a lot of sweatshirts and sweatjackets in the evenings where there are breezes across nearby large lagoons and unprepared visitors shiver in shorts and T-shirts. EPCOT and Sea World evening shows are particulaly notable in this regard. Fantasmic Stadium at Disney Studios tends to be a bit chilly in the evenings, also.