The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Watch until 8 pm today for the Walt Disney World theme park areas as the effects of Tropical Storm Debby begin to be felt in the region.
A weather watch is a precautionary alert that advises of the potential for hazardous weather conditions, while a weather warning is a more urgent notification that dangerous weather is imminent or already happening.
The greatest concern for East Central Florida, including the Walt Disney World area, is heavy rainfall. Forecasts predict 2-4 inches of rain, with localized amounts of 4-6 inches possible, particularly north and west of the I-4 corridor. This could lead to flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas.
Tropical Storm Debby is expected to strengthen as it continues to move north into the eastern Gulf of Mexico today into Monday. The potential exists for localized flooding from heavy rainfall, occasional gusts to tropical storm force, and a few tornado in the outer rainbands over east central Florida (mainly today into Monday).
Walt Disney World guests should monitor weather updates closely, as the storm’s track could bring further impacts to the area. So far, Disney has not announced any operational impacts to Walt Disney World theme parks or resorts.
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