>
Apocalypse Disney! Massive thunderstorms and a sinister funnel cloud send Epcot guests to cover as Orlando residents say they’ve “never seen anything like this in this area”
- EPCOT canceled its concerns on Thursday night due to inclement weather, including lightning strikes and funnel clouds in the area
- Although Florida gets more thunderstorms than any other part of the country, tornadoes and funnel clouds are still rare
- The clouds are harmless, according to NWS, but in rare cases they can touch the ground briefly and cause gusts of more than 80 km/h
<!–
<!–
<!–<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
On Thursday, guests at Disney’s Epcot Park were stunned and concerned to see funnel clouds rolling through the most magical place on Earth as strong storms made their way through Central Florida.
The alien storm clouds were captured on video by Epcot guests who took cover as the inclement weather threatened to ruin their day at the park.
The clouds, which appear to be hovering very close to the ground, began gathering in Orlando around 6:20 p.m. Thursday. The National Weather Service warned of short funnel clouds in the storm as it passed over the Orlando Metro area.
The clouds are harmless, according to NWS, but in rare cases they can touch the ground briefly and cause gusts of more than 80 km/h.
To get the designation of a tornado, the clouds would have to hit the ground, which they didn’t.
But the lightning strikes and severe weather were enough to cancel events like the Harmonius show at Epcot.
Funnel Clouds Pictured En route to Disney’s EPCOT in Orlando, Florida, on Thursday, September 15
“We went to Epcot to go to one of their concerts. We’ve been locals for over 16 years and we’ve never seen anything like this in this area,” said Disney streamers Adam and Kristen.
No damage was done by the apparent funnel cloud, but it did create quite a crowd at the popular amusement park.
Meteorologists advised people to go inside and report when they see a funnel cloud to the National Weather Service.
The Harmonius show at EPCOT was canceled as funnel clouds crept into the area and lightning strikes hit a nearby barge
Thunderclouds and inclement weather swept through the Orlando Metro area on Thursday
Florida sees more thunderstorms than any other part of the country, especially during the summer months. Funnel clouds and tornadoes are much rarer in Florida.
Disney’s Magic Kingdom also got a lot of rain on Thursday and suffered some minor flooding.