Planning for the Weather in Orlando
The weather in central Florida can be challenging to navigate if you’re here for a visit. The rainy season seems unpredictable, and it can be a little disheartening to look at the weather forecast and see an 80% chance of rain every day for your entire trip. The great news is, most of the year, it doesn’t rain all day; it’ll just rain long enough to give the plants a good drink of water and then resume being super hot and sunny. As a gardener, I love it. When you’re visiting a theme park on vacation, it can be less thrilling. Here are a few tips I use to plan my day during the rainy season as a local.
When is the Rainy Season?
The official dates for the rainy season are from May to October. This is when you’ll typically see a late afternoon or evening shower every day. However, spring breakers can see some sporadic rain as early as March.
How Do I Know Precisely When It’s Going to Rain?
Daily forecasts aren’t helpful because they will show a high chance of rain daily. Hourly forecasts are a bit more beneficial to find out generally what time of day the rain will be coming and if it will likely last for a few hours or all day.
The most helpful tool I’ve found is the Weather app on my iPhone. You can turn on your notifications, and it will alert you to when rain might be starting or stopping in your location right down to the minute. If you have an Apple watch, it’ll notify you right on your wrist. I love this feature because it gives me just enough time to throw on a poncho or head indoors when we’re at one of the parks. It’ll also alert you when the rain might stop so that you can plan your next steps.
What Rain Gear Should I Bring to the Parks?
Ponchos
If you’re only going to be here for a week, I usually recommend buying a bunch of throwaway ponchos from Walmart or Target. You can get them for about $1 apiece, throw them on for half an hour, then toss them when the rain passes. You don’t have to worry about folding them back into a tiny bag or letting them dry out between uses. If you have stroller-age kiddos, pack some extras to cover your stroller with.
If you are a pass holder like us and go pretty often, or if the rain is predicted to last all day when you’re here, I recommend getting a reusable poncho. I have this one, and I love it. I like that there are lots of options for how you wear it; it can work like a sort of jacket with sleeves, or you can wear it looser like a traditional poncho. It has a hood that you can tighten, and it has pockets! It also comes with a carrying bag with a little carabiner so you can attach it to the back of your bag when it’s wet, and is remarkably easy to fold. I’ve washed mine many times, and it’s held up great.
A Change of Shoes
This is up to your preference and depends on how much space you have in your bag or stroller, but I like to bring, at the very least, an extra pair of socks for Cash in case his feet get wet with a rain shower or on a water ride. If you run into massive flooding, your shoes will get soaked, too, so that’s not a perfect solution. Often, I will pack a pair of flip-flops (because they don’t take up much space) in our bag so we can switch to those for water rides or during the rain, then switch back to our more comfortable walking shoes. Often, I’ll just wear my Chaco sandals, which are comfortable to walk in and dry quickly, and that works as well.
What About Umbrellas?
At times I have packed an umbrella, and it came in somewhat handy, but most of the time, it just felt like a heavy piece of equipment that I had to carry around that wasn’t always effective against the sometimes-sideways downpour. If you want to bring an umbrella, go with a travel-size one unless you have a lot of room at the bottom of a stroller. It can also provide some comfort in the extreme heat, especially if you can figure out how to cover a little one in a stroller.
Final Tips
Rain isn’t the only thing you should prepare for, though it’s the most unpredictable. Always pack plenty of water and sunscreen for the hot Florida days. We’ll also bring a fan or some cooling towels on hot days. If you’d rather avoid the heat and rain altogether, I recommend coming in winter; November through February is usually relatively dry and much cooler.