Tornado Almost Forms Over EPCOT

Something wicked this way comes as something very unusual and very scary appeared at EPCOT this past weekend. It’s not the Wicked Witch of the West from the old Great Movie Ride, but a funnel cloud forming in the sky.

For those who aren’t aware a funnel cloud is a rotating cloud that forms the shape of a funnel and is usually the precursor to a tornado. With the amount of bad publicity surrounding the parks like the poor condition of the rides and skyrocketing prices, the last thing Disney needs is a tornado on the loose at their parks.

Multiple Guests were able to spot the whirlpool shaped phenomenon and took photos and video and posted to their social media accounts:

#tornado #DisneyWorld No lines on this ride pic.twitter.com/GWWmNoMDi2

— Joey Boudreaux (@RealBoudreaux) September 15, 2022

News 6 meteorologist Jonathan Kegges described the event:

“Initially it was difficult to determine if the cloud was rotating from the video and pictures taken at EPCOT. Rotation is the factor that differentiates a funnel cloud from scud. Oftentimes, scud clouds resemble funnel clouds or tornadoes. Scud clouds are a type of fractus cloud, which is a jagged cloud that forms in the warm, moist area beneath a thunderstorm updraft.“

Thankfully the cloud did not touch ground and no immediate damage was done. It is however rather scary to think that such a crowded place could be affected by such dangerous weather patterns. Orlando is mostly known for its rain and thunder storms, but tornados are usually further north in the Tampa area.

The Disney Parks are no stranger to bad weather or natural events. Disneyland is impacted by Californian earthquakes, Tokyo Disneyland was affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami and Disneyland Paris does experience snow.

Hopefully Walt Disney World will never have to suffer the wrath of a full tornado, as the damage done by those would cost a fortune; Not to mention the possible injuries and/or deaths caused by such a thing.

Source: In The Know