Orlando does not close water parks very often. The city's entire tourism identity is built around year-round warmth, and the water parks at Universal Orlando Resort and Walt Disney World operate on a calendar that reflects that. Guests book trips to Central Florida in March specifically because March here is supposed to feel like the rest of the country will not feel until June. That expectation is, most years, completely reasonable.
This is not most years. Or at least, this is not most weeks.
Temperatures this morning are running nearly 25 degrees below where they were yesterday. The forecast high for today across Central Florida is a struggling 60 degrees — a number that, if it holds, would break the previous record cool high for this date of 61 degrees, a record that has stood since 1901. The normal high for this time of year is around 79 degrees. That gap between expected and actual is large enough to change what a park day looks like, and for water parks specifically it is large enough to close them entirely.
While it might be St. Patrick's Day, this is not a lucky situation.
Universal Orlando's Volcano Bay and Walt Disney World's Blizzard Beach are both closed today. If either was on your itinerary, here is what you need to know about the closure, the weather driving it, and when both parks are expected to be back.
Volcano Bay Is Out Today
Volcano Bay shut down today as temperatures made water-based operations impractical for guests. The park is Universal Orlando's standalone water theme park, centered on the towering Krakatau volcano that gives the property its visual identity. The attraction lineup runs from the Kala and Tai Nui Serpentine Body Slides inside the volcano itself to the Kopiko Wai Winding River, the Tot Tiki Reef area for younger guests, and the wave pool at the volcano's base.
🌧️ ❄️ Weather Update ❄️ 🌧️
Universal Volcano Bay will be closed on Tuesday, March 17, due to inclement weather. For park updates, please call 407-817-8317 or stay tuned to Universal Orlando’s social channels.— Universal Orlando Resort (@UniversalORL) March 16, 2026
On a normal March day, Volcano Bay is exactly where a family wants to spend several hours. On a day where the high is expected to barely clear 60 degrees and overnight lows across the region dropped into territory where frost was possible in some areas, it is not a difficult call to keep guests out of the water. The park will reopen when conditions allow.
Blizzard Beach Is Also Closed
Walt Disney World's Blizzard Beach closed for the same reason. The ski-resort-themed water park in the Hollywood Studios area of the resort — with its Summit Plummit speed slide, Teamboat Springs family raft ride, and Cross Country Creek lazy river winding through a snow-capped mountain aesthetic — is one of the most consistently popular water parks in the country during warm weather.
Cold-weather closures are not entirely foreign territory for a park that literally decorates itself with artificial snow and ski lift equipment. The theming almost winks at the concept. But the practical reality for guests during peak spring break travel season is that a closure today affects more visitors than the same closure in a slower month would.
Blizzard Beach and Volcano Bay are both expected to reopen as conditions improve, and the forecast makes clear that the current cold is temporary.
The Weather Context and the Recovery Timeline
Today is the bottom of this cold pattern. Overnight temperatures in the Orlando area tonight will drop to the low and mid 40s along the I-4 corridor, with some areas to the north — Marion County, northern Lake and Sumter counties — potentially dipping into the mid 30s with a slim chance of patchy frost. Brevard County will remain milder, in the low to mid 50s.
Tomorrow brings measurable improvement. Highs are forecast to reach the low 70s, which is still below the seasonal average of 79 degrees but a significant step up from today. High pressure is building and will keep conditions dry as temperatures gradually recover through the week.
By the end of the workweek, readings should be climbing into the lower to middle 70s with consistent sunshine. The weekend is where the forecast gets genuinely appealing: Saturday afternoon temperatures are expected to reach the lower to mid 80s, slightly above seasonal average, under mostly clear skies.
If there is a silver lining to a cold weather closure during what was supposed to be a warm park day, it is that the recovery is fast and the weekend looks excellent.
How to Handle This If It Affects Your Trip
For guests with Blizzard Beach tickets for today, contacting Walt Disney World guest services is the right first move. Disney has historically offered date flexibility for weather-related water park closures, and reaching out through the My Disney Experience app or by phone will give you the most accurate information on your specific ticket type and available options.
Universal guests whose Volcano Bay visit falls today should do the same through Universal's app or guest services line. Multi-park and resort packages that include Volcano Bay access may have built-in flexibility, and the team can advise on what your options look like given the closure.
For anyone with a trip that extends into the weekend, the smarter play is to shift the water park day to Saturday if your schedule allows. The forecast for Saturday is the best of the week by a significant margin, with temperatures in the low to mid 80s and mostly clear skies that make a full water park day genuinely enjoyable. Trying to visit Volcano Bay or Blizzard Beach on a 60-degree day — even if they were open — would not have been the experience those parks are designed to deliver.
Guests arriving in Orlando today should plan for real cold by Florida standards. Tonight's lows along I-4 will be in the low to mid 40s, which is the kind of temperature that catches visitors off guard when they packed for a Florida spring break. A jacket for this evening is not a suggestion. It is the right call.
Both parks will be back. The weather is already turning. Check the resort apps on Wednesday and Thursday for current status, and if the weekend is part of your trip, the water park experience you were looking for will be there waiting for you.
