Freezing temperatures and icy conditions are rare for Walt Disney World but will likely hit this weekend. The resort is preparing by covering plants and salting bridges.
Disney World Freeze Prep
The first signs of preparation for the freezing conditions were outside Magic Kingdom. Two planters have been covered by white tarps to keep the plants safe. The tarps encircle the trees, which are not covered.
More tarps are in planters throughout Town Square.
The low flowerbeds around The Plaza Restaurant are covered. But not every planter is protected by tarps currently. Crews may lay more tarps overnight tonight.
This large planter outside Tomorrowland Terrace is covered by a tarp, once again surrounding a tree.
Both long planters outside Casey’s Corner are covered by tarps. The grassy spots in front of Cinderella Castle are not covered because for the most part, those are full of fake grass.
The Liberty Square, Adventureland, and Crystal Palace bridges were all sprinkled with salt. This helps melt snow and ice.
Disney is concentrating on the bridges because those are bottleneck areas and closer to the water, so more likely to become hazardous.
Even more white tarps covered plants outside Critter Co-Op, the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure gift shop.
We hope Lari stays indoors this weekend! It’s possible that due to the freezing conditions, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will have irregular operating hours.
There were more tarps outside Pinocchio Village Haus. A set was wrapped around the base of the Pinocchio Fab 50 statue so guests can still see the statue and play the Disney Fab 50 Quest.
Also notice how large shrubs still poke out above the tarps. Not every plant can be protected.
Rabbit’s garden is safe outside The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
Over at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, we didn’t see as much preparation, but there was a tarp over the grass around The Cameraman statue.
On Sunset Boulevard, we noticed plants had been removed from their pots on the railings outside Sunset Ranch Market.
Extreme Cold Watch & Freeze Watch
An Extreme Cold Watch and Freeze Watch will be in effect from 7 p.m. on Saturday through 1 p.m. on Sunday. These are for Orange, Osceola, Volusia, Lake, Seminole, Brevard, Indian River, Okeechobee, Saint Lucie, and Martin counties.
An Extreme Cold Watch means dangerously cold wind chills as low as 7 degrees are possible. Saturday winds are forecasted to be up to 45 mph. The Freeze Watch means a hard freeze with temperatures as low as 20 degrees is possible.
The National Weather Service recommends people dress in layers, including a hat, face mask, and gloves; keep pets indoors; ensure portable heaters are used correctly and do not use generators or grills inside; make frequent checks on older friends and family; and take steps now to protect tender plants.
On Saturday, the predicted high/low temperatures are 58°/25° F. On Sunday, the high/low will be 46°/29° F.
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
