Originally Posted By FerretAfros It could have an effect, but the topography of LA and Orange Counties are what make the storms bad. The mountains are loose dirt because there isn't enough rain to support much vegitation (the lack of rain also leads to wildfires in the fall). Since there is nothing to hold the dirt in place, when it rains, it just washes away. Luckily, there's a lot of open space in the area, so the water can dissipate a little easier once it gets out of the canyons, but for people who live on/near the mountains, they will have trouble with it on a fairly regular basis. Much of both counties is just flat open space (Los Angeles Basin, the area around DL), so those people aren't nearly as affected by the rain, though they may still be scared of the water falling from the sky, in traditional soCal fashion. : )
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< So there was no storm that caused wide spread power outages in La county, flooding and mudslides? >>> Was DL at risk of mudslides? But, you keep missing the point. There are power outages, mudslides, and flooding every year in SoCal. But not until this year has DL used "weather" as an excuse to change the closing dates of the parks after they've already been published, especially for the same day after the parks have been open a few hours.
Originally Posted By oredisneyfan is everyone not entitled to an opinion here? there are many points of view, I did not say you were wrong or missing the point. I understand that this is not something that has happend in the past. I too have been at DL in some pretty bad weather and they did not close the park. Just because they did now doesnt mean it is a conspiracy, maybe not handled the best way but maybe not intentionally trying to cheat people out of their $$ either.
Originally Posted By Darkbeer OK, once again, around NOON on Saturday the rains stopped in Anaheim, and it NEVER rained again on Saturday, not in the afternoon, not in the evening!
Originally Posted By oc_dean >><<< So there was no storm that caused wide spread power outages in La county, flooding and mudslides? >>> Was DL at risk of mudslides? << That's a laugh and a half! :O) As a native who knows his territory ... though the outlying hilly sections "can" be a problem at times ... the flat dense suburbs of Anaheim, Santa Ana, Buena Park, Orange, Cypress, etc .. are quite shielded from mudslides, floods, and more. We have the Santa Ana river bed which was retrofitted a couple decades ago to handle 30 and 100 year floods. Streets may become overwhelmed in heavy downpours at times ... but something on a larger scale .. that we hear about in states along the Mississippi River - No.
Originally Posted By Westsider Or maybe they were afraid of meteor showers raining space debris down on the park?
Originally Posted By lesmisfan "OK, once again, around NOON on Saturday the rains stopped in Anaheim, and it NEVER rained again on Saturday, not in the afternoon, not in the evening!" not exactly true, around five there was just a small down pour
Originally Posted By oc_dean >>At least we get real thunderstorms down here.<< Real thunder storms? I thought so too, after 45 years in OC. Then I came to Sydney .. most specifically the Pittwater peninsula ... and the thunder storms here can do dances around the piddly thunder storms that come into SoCal ! SoCal has baby thunder storms. Other parts of the world .. have massive thunder storms. What's Disney going to say - We had to close because there was too much thunder and lightning. Come to Australia .. I'll show Disney execs some REAL thunder storms!
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder "OK, once again, around NOON on Saturday the rains stopped in Anaheim, and it NEVER rained again on Saturday, not in the afternoon, not in the evening!" Not ever, ever, ever? Golly, did 'ums feel cheated? Get a life.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***Then I came to Sydney .. most specifically the Pittwater peninsula ... and the thunder storms here can do dances around the piddly thunder storms that come into SoCal !*** And yet Walt Disney World in Florida is in the heart of the "lightning capital of the world", or so locals say. I tend to believe it. Florida lightening storms are FIERCE beyond belief, and I actually knew of a handful of people who died from lightning strikes when I lived there. And yet...they don't close the parks (they DO have "procedures", making sure guests get indoors and all that stuff, but they don't outright close unless there's a major hurricane). Go figure.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros In a way, I think it's just part of the east coast/west coast differences. Tourists to WDW know that there are big storms there. A lot of them come from places that also get really big storms, though maybe not as frequently. The locals that support DL aren't used to any kind of rain. When it starts to drizzle, you can turn on the news and see a bunch of scary "Storm Watch" graphics flying around. When it rains in soCal, people just plain freak out. As someone whose not from here, I think it's endlessly entertaining to watch. However, I would be shocked if there was a sizeable number of locals who wanted to go to DL in the rain. They just aren't used to it, and don't know what to do. In the same way, when I first came out here, it drove me insane that it was 75 and sunny every single day. I've started to get used to it, but the total lack of weather throws me off just as much as a little bit of rain does for the locals. "At least we get real thunderstorms down here." Having lived in places where tornadoes and hurricanes are a regular occurence, this sentiment has always made me laugh. Especially when it starts to rain and nobody knows how to go out side, and they completely forget how to drive...
