Orlando International Airport will be closed to commercial traffic on Wednesday evening at 4:00 PM. The news comes as the storm continues to gain strength and head toward Central Florida, which is now under a Tropical Storm Warning. It is currently expected that Tropical Storm Nicole will become a Category 1 Hurricane before making landfall. When the storm hits the Orlando area it is expected to be hitting the area with tropical-storm-force winds.
Here is the post from the Orlando International Airport announcing the closure:
Operational Update – Tropical Storm Nicole Together with our partners, a decision has been made to cease commercial operations at 4:00pm on Wednesday, November 9th, until circumstances permit operations resume.
We will continue to monitor Tropical Storm Nicole to determine the potential impact at MCO. We ask you to please continue to work with your airline directly in regards to your specific flight. Thank you.
@MCO on Twitter
At this time, a time for reopening to commercial traffic is unknown. The Orlando International Airport shared in some of its replies the conditions for reopening. In a tweet replying to a question about reopening, Orlando International Airport said:
The time for reopening our airport is fluid as it will be determined by an assessment of damage to airport property & facilities. Please feel free to keep an eye out on our social channels for updates regarding the reopening of our airport. Thank you.
@MCO on Twitter
If you are traveling into the Orlando area this week, make sure and check with individual airlines for flight status. If a flight has already been impacted by the storm and Orlando International Airport, reach out to the airline as quickly as possible as flights will be busier after the storm as others also rebook their travel.
Tropical Storm Nicole has already been impacting Florida and the Orlando area. The Disney Cruise Line has been forced to divert some of its cruises. At this point, Walt Disney World Resort has said that it will be closing its one remaining water park and mini-golf locations. While the storm doesn’t look like it will be as strong as Hurricane Ian was a couple of months ago, it does continue to gain strength and has the potential to be dangerous and do damage.
Daps Magic will continue to monitor Tropical Storm Nicole and continue to provide updates as they become available.
