Guest Almost Struck By Lightning at Disney

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

Over the last few weeks, we have seen multiple examples of the intense amounts of rain at Disney World, with several attractions being evacuated. Some Guests found themselves in an unlucky position when the rain started – on board the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover at Magic Kingdom.

This trend continued at Disneyland Paris, with the Resort facing harsh temperatures and even harsher storms, leaving both Parks completely underwater. However, None of the Disney Parks seem to have as brutal weather as the Walt Disney World Resort faces on a regular basis, with high temperatures and brutal humidity beating down on Guests daily.

Recently, the Walt Disney World Resort faced some intense storms accompanied by lightning strikes. Several Guests were able to capture photos of the strikes, and the results are unbelievable.

magic kingdom crowd levels memorial day weekend

Hospitality Professional and Director of Revenue Management Scott Campbell (@scottcampbell) shared a few pictures of the storms, with one photo in particular actually showing lightning that nearly struck them as they rode the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover. You can see the full suite of photos linked below:

Campbell went on to show the Park shortly after the storm:

Disney Park fan and enthusiast Corey (@CoreyWDW) shared another jaw-dropping photo of the lightning:

To round things off, Brayden (@SirBrayden) caught an incredible photo of The Tower of Terror with lightning surrounding the top of the building, making for an intimidating but fitting sight for the end of Sunset Boulevard:

Lightning strikes Spaceship Earth at EPCOT!

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Epcot

Tonight, as storms rolled through the theme parks at the Walt Disney World Resort in Central Florida, a video posted online appears to show the Spaceship Earth structure at EPCOT being struck by lightning.

As two Guests were live-streaming from EPCOT during the storms tonight, the sky was filled with the illumination of episodes of continual lightning. At one point during the live stream, a huge lightning bolt pierced the night sky and reached down toward the Spaceship Earth structure, seemingly striking the structure.

@streamingthemagic

Wow! Lightning strikes spaceship earth at Epcot Disney World during Kristen & Adam’s live stream on Streaming The Magic #disneyparks #spaceshipearth #lightningbolt

♬ original sound – Streaming The Magic

However, since Disney has hidden hundreds of lightning rods throughout the parks, it’s unlikely that the bolt actually hit Spaceship Earth; it’s far more likely that it hit a lightning rod atop the nearly 200-foot-tall structure.

According to Weird Disney, Central Florida sees more lightning than any other part of the country–on average, the area sees more than 50 lightning strikes per square mile. Lightning can be beautiful and awe-inspiring from a distance, but it can be deadly too.

lightning

That’s why there are lots of hidden lightning rods scattered around the Walt Disney World Resort–many in plain sight, but you might never know they were lightning rods. For example, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the Mickey Mouse that stands atop the high tower of the Crossroads kiosk near the entrance to the park is a lightning rod; well, his right ear is. It’s made of copper and, as with any other non-Mickey lightning rod, it attracts the lightning to it. Once a bolt strikes the rod, the rod channels the millions of volts of energy produced by the lightning through the copper around the structure and into the ground below.

crossroads of the world disney hollywood studios

The weather vane atop the Hall of Presidents structure at Magic Kingdom‘s Liberty Square is also a lightning rod, as are the spires at the topmost point of the Hollywood Tower Hotel that houses the Tower of Terror attraction at Hollywood Studios. (That place was struck by lightning back in 1939, and 5 people in the elevator disappeared and have never been seen again. Or so the story goes.)

lightning rod hall of presidents tower of terror disney world

Seeing a lightning flash can be fascinating, but because of the dangers associated with lightning    Disney has very specific procedures in place in the event of a lightning storm anywhere within 10 miles of the Walt Disney World Resort.

Per Disney’s website, the Walt Disney World Lightning Policy states the following:

“Event operations will shut down when lightning is 10 miles out from the event areas. Event operations will not resume until the lightning is 10 miles out moving away from the event areas. The event management team will consult with Walt Disney World Resort Management on a course of action to utilize the operational rain plan, delay the event or cancel the event.”

Massive Lightning Bolt Strikes Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Walt Disney World

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Hollywood Studios

Via WDWNT.com

It seems Emperor Palpatine is back at it again. Nightly lightning shows have become a regular occurrence at Walt Disney World lately due to summer storms rolling in every evening, and a new video on social media shows the sheer power of nature—even on Batuu.

A video by Twitter user @Austin_Cop_17 shows a massive lightning bolt striking one of the lightning rods embedded throughout the taller points of the land. Just before lightning strikes, all one hears is the familiar whirring of the machinery throughout the Resistance Forest. And suddenly, a lightning bolt hits, with the camera flashing to white and even the audio going out on the video due to the nearby impact.

While startled from the loud boom, no one was hurt, nor was any damage recorded at the site… Black Spire is safe from the evil forces of the Sith, for now.