Tonight, as storms rolled through the theme parks at the Resort in , a video posted online appears to show the structure at being struck by .
As two Guests were live-streaming from during the storms tonight, the sky was filled with the illumination of episodes of continual At one point during the live stream, a huge pierced the night sky and reached down toward the 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 rods throughout the parks, it’s unlikely that the bolt actually hit ; it’s far more likely that it hit a atop the nearly 200-foot-tall structure.
According to Weird Disney, sees more than any other part of the country–on average, the area sees more than 50 strikes per square mile. can be beautiful and awe-inspiring from a distance, but it can be deadly too.
That’s why there are lots of hidden rods scattered around the Resort–many in plain sight, but you might never know they were rods. For example, at Disney’s , the Mickey Mouse that stands atop the high tower of the Crossroads kiosk near the entrance to the park is a ; well, his right ear is. It’s made of copper and, as with any other non-Mickey , it attracts the to it. Once a bolt strikes the rod, the rod channels the millions of volts of energy produced by the through the copper around the structure and into the ground below.
The weather vane atop the Hall of Presidents structure at ‘s Liberty Square is also a , as are the spires at the topmost point of the Hollywood Tower Hotel that houses the Tower of Terror attraction at . (That place was struck by back in 1939, and 5 people in the elevator disappeared and have never been seen again. Or so the story goes.)
Seeing a can be fascinating, but because of the dangers associated with Disney has very specific procedures in place in the event of a storm anywhere within 10 miles of the Resort.
Per Disney’s website, the Policy states the following:
“Event operations will shut down when is 10 miles out from the event areas. Event operations will not resume until the is 10 miles out moving away from the event areas. The event management team will consult with Resort Management on a course of action to utilize the operational rain plan, delay the event or cancel the event.”
Here’s hoping a thunderstorm doesn’t dampen your day at , but if it threatens to, check out these ideas for saving your day at the parks if inclement weather is forecast.
