Coldest, Wettest, and Hottest you've been at a park?

[Jarrett]

We love theme parking and all, but sometimes the drive that comes with getting those credits and having fun can end with us in less-than-favorable interactions with Mother Nature. What's the worst condition the weather has left you in after a day of theme parking? Two of these situations happened fairly recently for me...

Coldest- 2015 at Silver Dollar City, we were told that the weather would be in the fifties in late December, seemed pretty warm for that time of year. We get there and it's in the mid-thirties. Not only could they only run Fire in the Hole and Thunderation (infamously spiting us on Outlaw Run), but Emily, a Canadian that deals with cold weather constantly, spent the whole two days clinging to me for warmth.

Wettest- This past May at Quassy. We decided to go because I wanted to ride Wooden Warrior again and last time I was there I barely got to experience the park. The day started out with a light sprinkle, enough to get Wooden Warrior's tracks nice and slick and get us an overshoot and reride. But later, as we were running around and riding stuff, it started absolutely pouring down rain and got us absolutely drenched. When we got back to my car both the button down I was wearing and the UMBC hoodie Celia was wearing were so soaked that we had to wring them out.

Hottest- Last week at Kings Dominion (TR coming soon I promise), no doubt about it! I've dealt with 100+ degrees at Carowinds before and it was brutal, but this was way worse! It was approaching 100 degrees but the humidity was at a choking 60% that day. Not even halfway into a fifteen minute wait for Dominator first thing that day I was already sticky and sweaty, and it just got worse as the day went on. I smelled absolutely awful by the end of the day and my clothes were soaked in my sweat, plus my face got a bit sunburned. My Mystic Timbers shirt was full of white sweat stains when I changed clothes that evening.

 

[Intricks]

Coldest Ive been at a park is probably anytime I went to Cedar Point in October.

Wettest was when I was in 8th grade and went on Vacation to Florida and dealt with an absolute downpour in early-October while leaving one of the Disney Parks (Animal Kingdom I believe).

As for hottest? Umm......probably either when I went to SFMM, when I did my birthday coaster trip in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, Mass and Conneticut a few years back or the random Day trip to Hershey. Idk, would you count riding Manhattan Express in August as a park? Cause if so, then that.

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[HeartlineCoaster]

I think all three of those can probably be covered by a Valhalla marathon in November.

 

[Edward M]

Coldest would be Dollywood in November. Wasn't that bad really, but I just don't tend to be at parks in the cold since it's either summer or in Florida.

Hottest is definitely July at Disney World. There was this distinct day at Magic Kingdom that was 100 degrees and nearly 100% humidity. It was truly brutal. I would say that my days at Universal felt hotter though since there's just not as much shade.

Wettest would be after I did the three water rides at Islands of Adventure in a row. Insanely wet. I truly didn't have a spot on my body not wet. However, if it must come from Mutha Nature, then it would be a day at Hollywood Studios. Just beyond pouring. People were terrified of it, and they were crowding anywhere with cover. In fact, it was even flooding in areas, but it also meant no waits on nearly everything. We were the only people in the walkways that day. Only time I've ridden Star Tours with 4 people in the car.

 

[nadroJ]

Great topic!

Coldest
Efteling, February 2016. Definitely my fault - I didn't bring the right coat so had to face the snow with just a leather jacket. I made it through the first day just about, but we bailed by 1PM because I reached my limit.

Wettest
I don't actually think I've ever done a day at a park where it was an absolutely washout - Blackpool 2009 springs to mine but even then I think it was sporadic.

Hottest
Carowinds, June 2014. So bad we spent the day jumping from shaded area to shaded area and bailed at lunchtime to the water park.

 

[Hixee]

I'm with @nadroJ, great topic!

Coldest - To be honest, nothing really stands out for me here. Possibly a late March early April trip to Alton Towers at some point, but I suspect the daily highs were in double digits, so can't have been too bad.

Wettest - Again, nothing in recent memory stands out. Maybe the first CF Live I ever did, Oakwood back in 2008, that was pretty soaking all day. Or maybe after getting punished by River Quest this April...

Hottest - Surprise, surprise, nothing stands out here either. I did Yas Waterworld in the summer last year, with air temperatures pushing 48 °C (120 °F), but as that's a waterpark it probably doesn't really count. The coasters at Ferrari World were interesting in that kind of heat too, but it was reasonably easy to just escape back indoors. In terms of traditional theme park, with nowhere to go, the only one that does spring to mind was Worlds of Fun back on the 2010 USA Live. I remember it feeling very hot and the air feeling rather still, making the day feel pretty bad.

 

[gavin]

Coldest: must be either Lotte World or Everland. Done them both during Korean winters when it would have been minus-something°C.

Hottest: I remember a few days during the USA Live back in 2010 where it was hitting mid to high thirties. Parks in this area can be worse because of the humidity though. Disney last week was 35°C and stickier than a $5 whore.

Wettest: Been caught in a few brief thunderstorms or showers, but Fantawild Dreamland and Oriental Heritage (Wuhu) sticks out for pissing down for the full two days I was there. Didn't get the creds.

 

[DelPiero]

Coldest: Probably Lake Compounce in 2015, the day before was 2°C and they didn't open, I'm pretty sure it was 5°C the day I went, very cold. I've done Blackpool in Feb as well which was disgustingly cold.
Hottest: Most recently was USF in 2013, one of those days it was baking and not much shade. Generally I tend to avoid trips during July/Aug so it's rare the heat is too bad.
Wettest: My most recent trip, the first day at Dollywood was constant rain, no letup at all. By closing it was torrential. Luckily everything was walk-on and covered queue lines so I only really got wet walking between rides or while on them.

 

[Hyde]

Coldest - Dollywood on Opening Day in 2010. The temperature was below freezing (32F), which meant none of the roller coasters could operate until things warmed up mid-day!
Hottest - Dorney Park in 2005. Temperatures were in excess of 97F, which lead to a number of gray outs on all the rides.
Wettest - Probably Ohio State Day at Cedar Point this year. It was a complete torrent of water, with only Blue Streak opened as some semblance of pity for attendees. I do recall a Halloweekends night at Cedar Point a few years ago where it was also a complete downpour for the entire day. In these rare moments, when Cedar Point is packed to the brim with park guests and no real plan B, the park will run many rides throughout the rain. Riding Millennium Force with a downpour however is not highly advisable - rain hurts at high speed!

 

[Will]

Wettest
Blackpool 2009 springs to mine but even then I think it was sporadic.

That was only really bad for an hour or two around lunchtime; Alton 2010, Tivoli 2009 and bloody Oakwood in 2008 were all worse.
Happily, Blackpool did give us the "Maybe it'll stop soon, what does your phone say, John?" "...it says it's raining, Ian" moment.

As for me,
Hottest
...something I generally try to avoid, because hot days make theme parks busy and queuing in heat is awful. That said, I managed to catch Parque Warner Madrid on a scorching, yet quiet day back in 2015. This involved alternating between creds and water rides - and even then, it wasn't hot enough for their splash battle to be enjoyable!

And in the same way that it always rains at Thorpe, it was ROASTING at the Flamingoland Lives in 2005, 2008 and 2009. I also visited on hot days in 2013 and 2017.

Wettest
I'm English, so... more than I care to count.
I remember washouts at Alton with my family in 2001 and 2002 and a similar mishap in 2007 - I don't think it ever stopped raining on Corkscrew's last day either.
I've been caught out wrong side of Thorpe's permanent layer of nimbostratus many, many times - most notably the end of GhosterForce 2005, 2006 and 2011 (though I feel like it happened more than 3 times. Hazy memories of sheltering in the dome in 2008?)

Some of the heaviest rain I've ever seen fell on us on the Germany Live in 2008, closing Expedition Ge Force for a while, and also persuading me not to ride River Quest (which I later regretted).
It was VERY wet at Adventure Island on the day of Mark and Marc's wedding.
My first ride on Karnan was in the sleet. I do not recommend this.
The winner; however, has to be Alton's Scarefest in 2013 - the park had been shut by a powercut the previous day, while the Sunday saw what could only be described as flash-flooding across the resort. Happily, although it was 'gypsy day', it was a lot more peaceful after the rain! There used to be impressive pictures of it on TS, but now I can only find two of them, which don't entirely do it justice.

Coldest
I have been to Blackpool and Southend in February, so it's almost certainly one of those. I've also seen closed rides at Alton and Thorpe due to cold weather, but... nothing to write home about.
I've been lucky when visiting foreign parks in Autumn/Winter - it felt cold at Walygator in 2010, due to sleep deprivation and a long day, likewise Liseberg the following month.

 

[Rachel]

Coldest - So I went to Alton Towers in 2010 around Halloween and I think it was about 2 degrees tops during the day. Anyway decided Rita front row would be a good idea in the cold but it wasn't. I was shaking with cold by the time it got back to the brake run.

Wettest - I don't think i've ever had a day at a park be a complete washout. There have been downpours but nothing that has completely ruined the day. I guess if I had to choose something i'd go with a trip to Alton Towers (again!) which I did in July 2009 where it rained the entire time and I'd packed completely the wrong clothes and had to buy a new outfit made up of goony merch.

Hottest - Florida. One day that stands out was when I went to Epcot on my last visit I can remember standing in a queue to meet Belle right out in the sun and I was absolutely melting. I always feel kinda gross when a character hugs you and your just drenched in sweat.

 

[Jordanovichy]

Coldest - Probably Thorpe in April 2014 I think, steadily snowed all day...

To be fair though, I was well wrapped up, so didn't feel too cold, the coldest I've felt was my recent trip to Sarkanniemi. Tampere is the furthest north I've been, and the 2 hour train ride north of Helsinki lost 10C on route, from about 20C to 10C, and the freezing wind off the Nasiljarvi Lake made it disgusting.

Hottest - China. Anywhere in China. The first day felt the hottest because I wasn't used to it, when we went to Suzhou, the taxi at 10am said 42C, plus near 100% humidity...we were pushing mid 50s for real feel most days in the Shanghai area. Never go to Shanghai in July boys and girls.

The temperature in Shanghai according to a bullet train at 8am...

Wettest - Not really sure, there are a few contenders, Nagashima Spaland, ****ing Typhoon Etau closed everything bar 3 creds...and the huge, near 300ft tall Ferris wheel (ahem, what about the 318ft cred?) We had to go back later in the trip!
Canada's Wonderland saw quite an impressive thunderstorm lasting about 90 minutes where it hammered down...we waited it out under a poncho in the queue for Leviathan...

We had several thunderstorms in Florida too, Tomorrowland...

Fantasyland....

 

[nadroJ]

Coldest - Probably Thorpe in April 2014 I think, steadily snowed all day...

To be fair though, I was well wrapped up, so didn't feel too cold, the coldest I've felt was my recent trip to Sarkanniemi. Tampere is the furthest north I've been, and the 2 hour train ride north of Helsinki lost 10C on route, from about 20C to 10C, and the freezing wind off the Nasiljarvi Lake made it disgusting.

Hottest - China. Anywhere in China. The first day felt the hottest because I wasn't used to it, when we went to Suzhou, the taxi at 10am said 42C, plus near 100% humidity...we were pushing mid 50s for real feel most days in the Shanghai area. Never go to Shanghai in July boys and girls.

The temperature in Shanghai according to a bullet train at 8am...

Wettest - Not really sure, there are a few contenders, Nagashima Spaland, :emoji_zipper_mouth:ing Typhoon Etau closed everything bar 3 creds...and the huge, near 300ft tall Ferris wheel (ahem, what about the 318ft cred?) We had to go back later in the trip!
Canada's Wonderland saw quite an impressive thunderstorm lasting about 90 minutes where it hammered down...we waited it out under a poncho in the queue for Leviathan...

We had several thunderstorms in Florida too, Tomorrowland...

Fantasyland....

OMG how could I forget Nagashima?! Washout of a day XD

 

[Lucy]

Coldest - Most of the fireworks days at Alton Towers for me and also Thorpe when they did February half term openings.

Wettest - Not sure about this one but I've had several visits to parks where it's rained a lot for some of the day but not all.

Hottest - When I went to Busch Gardens in Florida, it was roasting hot and with the humidity too made the drink refills very worthwhile

 

[Will]

Ah, fair point from those above; how did I forget Canada's Wonderland.
Where everything closes if there's more than one cloud in the sky...

 

[Ben]

Coldest I can't really think? It snowed a lot when I went to Alton in February one time, so that has to be up there.

Hottest is probably Carowinds, because that place is built literally at the centre of the Sun I nearly died. Also, China in 2011. Never going there in the Summer again.

Wettest was either Knoebels in 2015 where it absolutely pissed it down all day and nothing outdoors opened, Six Flags Over Texas in 2015 where it pissed down and nothing outdoor opened or Nasu Highland where it just rained and rained and rained but some stuff opened yay.

 

[Pokemaniac]

Coldest - probably at TusenFryd some time. I don't exactly have any stand-out cold park experiences. But I've visited TusenFryd so many more times than the next on the list, that statistically I ought to have had my coldest experience there.

Hottest - again, no stand-out. I've visited parks in Florida and Abu Dhabi, but both were in the middle of January, so the temperature was actually rather chilly. I guess I've had some fairly hot days in parks in Denmark, though. So... Djurs, probably?

Wettest - this is the contested spot. Doing ThunderCoaster in the rain will leave you soaked to the bone, and I've done that a couple of times. TusenFryd tends to be rainy. But the moment that sticks out the most would be the CF Live at Liseberg back in 2014. We were all holed up in the fire escape exit of Lisebergbanan as it was closed due to massive downpours... and I had a train to catch so I had to leave. I practically swam back to the Liseberg train station, and didn't fully dry up until the following Tuesday.

Of course, I've probably been even wetter than that at waterparks. Water everywhere, several metres of water to every side, even above me. At the bottom of a pool, of course.

 

[GuyWithAStick]

Coldest- Closing day SFGAm 2015. I was standing in the parking lot for around 30 minutes waiting for my ride without a jacket. Not very smart on my part.

Hottest- Hmm, I think I'd have to say something in Disney World(go figure). Can't really remember the exact details, though.

Wettest- (if working at the park counts), a few weeks ago at SFGAm. It was a rather warm day in the morning/afternoon. Then in the horizon, you see this giant thundercloud looming over everything. Pretty soon, everything has a weird tint/awkward shadows, and it begins raining. Then it starts to monsoon, driving people to go barefoot in hopes of keeping their socks dry. Garbage bags were used as ponchos. It was dreadful. But if we're talking about being an actual guest, I'd have to say Hollywood Studios back in '08. I distinctly remember it being so bad we had to leave the park 4 hours before we were originally planning on.

 

[ThomVD]

Coldest - First time I visited Gröna Lund. I was shaking all day because it was so rainy and colder than expected. That warm tunnel on Jetline was very pleasant. But I loved the park so much that it's still a day I remember very fondly.

Hottest - Probably my first visit to Toverland. 35 degrees but strangely it wasn't that unbearable.

Wettest - Second day of my first visit to Europa Park. It was pouring down all morning leaving us completely soaked, but by the time we finally gave in and bought a poncho, it stopped raining..