The weather at Disney World can likely be an important aspect of deciding when to visit the happiest place on earth. Disney World weather is something to be mindful of and managed. Let’s be honest, the peak of the summer season can be oppressively hot. It’s manageable if you are smart about mixing indoor and outdoor activities and making sure you keep yourself hydrated.
We have created a simple data chart here from NOAA data, but there are more interactive charts available via the Weather Spark website. They put together some great information and are better meteorologists than we could ever hope to be. They have more detail in the graphics on their page than the raw data we show here. On their website you can toggle the charts to Celsius if that is easier for you to use for reference and they also allow for some languages other than English. You can also use the interactive charts to drill into data a little deeper if this a topic you want more data on. Rather than just seeing monthly data we present here, you can dive into daily information.
For now, we’ll focus on the two things most people are interested in related to Disney World weather patterns. That would be temperature and rain. You can reference the graph we have below.
Temperature
As you can see in the graphic, Orlando follows a pretty normal weather pattern for anywhere in the northern hemisphere. You’ll find summers being fairly hot, with pleasant springs and falls, sandwiched around a cool (but not arctic like) mild winter.
But looking at absolute temperature isn’t always the most important thing. In an environment with such high levels of humidity, it can feel far hotter than other places. That’s why we like some of the Weather Spark data. While you can see that the average high in Orlando is around 90°F in the heat of the summer, if you look at Weather Sparks’ temperature chart the red dotted line shows the heat index it feels like almost 100°F. We embedded a screen shot of one of our favorite charts that shows how it feels, not with numbers, but rather descriptions. There’s nothing dry about this heat!
From a temperature perspective, Disney World weather is hottest in the summer months.  No big deal if blistering heat and high humidity is your thing. In that case, charge on my friend! You’re basically looking at that type of hot weather from June through mid to late September. Spring, fall and winter months highs average in the 70-85°F range and can make for some great times to visit the parks.
Rainfall
You’ll notice on our graphic above, that rainfall also picks up in the summer months. Combine all the humidity of being in a state like Florida, with the heat of the day and anything from a passing shower to a torrential downpour is common in the summer. Did we mention you need to bring a poncho?
If you look at the weather spark data, you can see that in those prime summer months of June through September, you have a 50/50 shot at getting a shower of at least some size on any given day. Get out of those summer months, and the change of getting any meaningful precipitation reduces greatly.
With rain a high probability, you should check out our page related to What to do When It Rains at Disney World for some ideas.
Hurricanes (Typhoons) and Other Tropical Storms
While Florida is a great state and location for Disney World, this location does render Disney World susceptible to hurricanes (or typhoons if you are reading this in other parts of the world) and tropical storms. The entire eastern seaboard of the Unites States and those states along the Gulf of Mexico are all right in the middle of a tropical hot bed of warm ocean waters that are ripe for the development of hurricanes.
The officially defined hurricane season for the Atlantic Ocean is June 1st through November 30th. However, if you look at the information to the right from the Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory, you can see most hurricane activity is concentrated in the months of August, September and October. The Atlantic Ocean has developed roughly 10 tropical storms (including hurricanes) each year for the last 150 years or so. Of those, approximately 80% of them for in these three months.
Now, many of these storms form in the ocean and never hit land, while others do make landfall, but not in Florida, meaning no impact to your vacation. In fact, according to CNN, in the last 150 years or so, only 117 hurricanes have made landfall in Florida. That equates to less than one per year. If you were to hone in on hurricanes that have actually hit Disney World, it would be even less. Nonetheless, you should be aware of the possibility for hurricanes to affect Disney World weather.
Don’t Let Disney World Weather Make Your Decision
Lots of information to consider as you plan your Disney World trip. Don’t let the Disney World weather overwhelm you. Just be aware of it and make your choices about when you go an informed choice and be vigilant as your trip date nears. As we said in our last section, there isn’t a wrong choice. Do what’s best for you but do it with knowledge as your guide.