Hurricane Matthew has prompted Walt Disney World in Florida to close down for just the fourth time ever since theme park opened in 1971. Disney officials announced Thursday the park would be closing early, at 5 p.m., and remain closed through Friday, as the Category 4 storm is expected to rip through Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. The closures extend to "theme parks, water parks, Disney Springs, miniature golf courses, and ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex," a spokesperson said.
The last time Disney World closed its gates was Sept. 26, 2004, in anticipation of Hurricane Jeanne. In 1999, the park closed twice: once for Hurricane Frances on Sept. 4 and 5, and another time for Hurricane Floyd on Sept. 15.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Hurricane Matthew was upgraded to a Category 4 storm Thursday morning and is expected to bring winds of up to 140 miles per hour. Both President Obama and Florida Gov. Rick Scott have declared a state of emergency in the Sunshine State.
-
Political cartoons for January 3Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include citizen journalists, self-reflective AI, and Donald Trump's transparency
-
Into the Woods: a ‘hypnotic’ productionThe Week Recommends Jordan Fein’s revival of the much-loved Stephen Sondheim musical is ‘sharp, propulsive and often very funny’
-
‘Let 2026 be a year of reckoning’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
TikTok secures deal to remain in USSpeed Read ByteDance will form a US version of the popular video-sharing platform
-
Unemployment rate ticks up amid fall job lossesSpeed Read Data released by the Commerce Department indicates ‘one of the weakest American labor markets in years’
-
US mints final penny after 232-year runSpeed Read Production of the one-cent coin has ended
-
Warner Bros. explores sale amid Paramount bidsSpeed Read The media giant, home to HBO and DC Studios, has received interest from multiple buying parties
-
Gold tops $4K per ounce, signaling financial uneaseSpeed Read Investors are worried about President Donald Trump’s trade war
-
Electronic Arts to go private in record $55B dealspeed read The video game giant is behind ‘The Sims’ and ‘Madden NFL’
-
New York court tosses Trump's $500M fraud fineSpeed Read A divided appeals court threw out a hefty penalty against President Trump for fraudulently inflating his wealth
-
Trump said to seek government stake in IntelSpeed Read The president and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan reportedly discussed the proposal at a recent meeting
