Which Universal Orlando rides close in the rain?
Florida afternoon storms are part of almost every summer trip to Universal Orlando, and when lightning gets close the outdoor coasters stop. But which rides actually close, how long are they down, and what should you ride instead?
Instead of guessing, we checked. We matched every ride closure at Epic Universe, Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida against hourly Orlando weather: 489 rainy park hours and almost 12,000 closures.
Key takeaways
- 12 of the 41 rides we analysed usually close in heavy rain, and every one of them is outdoors.
- Indoor rides keep running. None of the 16 indoor rides showed a clear rain effect.
- A typical rain closure on an outdoor ride lasts about 50 minutes. 1 in 4 lasts 90+ minutes.
- 55% of rain closures start between 2 and 6 PM. Only 6% happen before noon.
- Universal gives no refunds or rain checks for rain or thunderstorms.
How to read the tables
For each ride we looked at every hour of heavy rain while the ride was open and checked whether it closed within the hour. Then we compared that to the same time of day on dry days, because some rides break down a lot anyway. A ride only counts as "usually closes" if it closed in at least half of heavy-rain events and far more often than it does in dry weather.
- Usually closes Expect it to stop when a storm arrives.
- Sometimes Affected by storms, but less reliably.
- Often closes, rain or shine Down a lot in rain, but also often down on dry days.
- Rarely No clear difference between rainy and dry weather. Your rainy-day rides.
Epic Universe rides that close in rain
Epic Universe's big outdoor coasters, Stardust Racers, Hiccup's Wing Gliders and Curse of the Werewolf, closed in roughly half to 60% of heavy-rain events. The indoor headliners, Battle at the Ministry, Monsters Unchained and Mario Kart, kept running. For more about Epic Universe wait times and strategies, see our full park guide.
| Ride | In rain | Closed in heavy rain | Closed same time, dry day | Typical rain closure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hiccup's Wing Gliders outdoor | Usually closes | 60% | 25% | 40 min |
| Fyre Drill outdoor | Usually closes | 59% | 21% | 45 min |
| Stardust Racers outdoor | Usually closes | 59% | 33% | 35 min |
| Curse of the Werewolf outdoor | Usually closes | 50% | 13% | 50 min |
| Mine-Cart Madness outdoor | Often closes, rain or shine | 70% | 47% | 45 min |
| Yoshi's Adventure outdoor | Sometimes | 44% | 11% | 55 min |
| Dragon Racer's Rally outdoor | Sometimes | 42% | 3% | 60 min |
| Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry indoor | Rarely | 34% | 24% | – |
| Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge indoor | Rarely | 18% | 22% | – |
| Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment indoor | Rarely | 13% | 23% | – |
| Constellation Carousel outdoor | Rarely | 12% | 11% | – |
Islands of Adventure rides that close in rain
Islands of Adventure has more outdoor rides than any other Universal park, so storms hit it hardest. Hagrid's had the longest typical rain closure of any ride we tracked: 80 minutes. Forbidden Journey, Spider-Man and The Cat in the Hat are your safest bets when it pours. For wait time strategies at Islands of Adventure, see our full park guide.
| Ride | In rain | Closed in heavy rain | Closed same time, dry day | Typical rain closure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jurassic Park River Adventure outdoor | Usually closes | 61% | 28% | 45 min |
| Pteranodon Flyers outdoor | Usually closes | 55% | 12% | 58 min |
| Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure outdoor | Usually closes | 53% | 14% | 80 min |
| Doctor Doom's Fearfall outdoor | Usually closes | 53% | 3% | 65 min |
| Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges outdoor | Usually closes | 52% | 11% | 55 min |
| Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls outdoor | Usually closes | 50% | 24% | 60 min |
| Flight of the Hippogriff outdoor | Usually closes | 50% | 7% | 55 min |
| The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride! outdoor | Often closes, rain or shine | 56% | 38% | 41 min |
| Jurassic World VelociCoaster outdoor | Often closes, rain or shine | 56% | 34% | 42 min |
| One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish outdoor | Sometimes | 49% | 4% | 50 min |
| Caro-Seuss-el covered | Sometimes | 26% | 7% | 55 min |
| Skull Island: Reign of Kong mixed | Rarely | 35% | 48% | – |
| The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man indoor | Rarely | 30% | 18% | – |
| The Cat in the Hat indoor | Rarely | 30% | 32% | – |
| Storm Force Accelatron covered | Rarely | 14% | 10% | – |
| Hogwarts Express (from Hogsmeade Station) mixed | Rarely | 12% | 7% | – |
| Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey indoor | Rarely | 5% | 5% | – |
| The Incredible Hulk Coaster outdoor | Not enough data yet | – | – | – |
Universal Studios Florida rides that close in rain
Universal Studios Florida is the rainy-day park. Almost everything is indoors, so Gringotts, Revenge of the Mummy, Transformers and the Minion rides showed no clear rain effect. The outdoor exceptions are Trolls Trollercoaster, which closed in 67% of heavy-rain events against just 7% on dry days (the biggest rain effect of any ride we tracked), and Kang & Kodos' Twirl 'n' Hurl. Learn more in our Universal Studios Florida guide.
| Ride | In rain | Closed in heavy rain | Closed same time, dry day | Typical rain closure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trolls Trollercoaster outdoor | Usually closes | 67% | 7% | 40 min |
| Kang & Kodos' Twirl 'n' Hurl outdoor | Sometimes | 47% | 5% | 45 min |
| Fast & Furious - Supercharged indoor | Rarely | 31% | 26% | – |
| Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts indoor | Rarely | 26% | 21% | – |
| E.T. Adventure indoor | Rarely | 24% | 25% | – |
| Men in Black Alien Attack indoor | Rarely | 20% | 16% | – |
| Transformers: The Ride-3D indoor | Rarely | 18% | 22% | – |
| Revenge of the Mummy indoor | Rarely | 14% | 6% | – |
| Despicable Me Minion Mayhem indoor | Rarely | 8% | 4% | – |
| Illumination's Villain-Con Minion Blast indoor | Rarely | 8% | 8% | – |
| Hogwarts Express (from King's Cross Station) mixed | Rarely | 6% | 5% | – |
| Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon indoor | Rarely | 4% | 1% | – |
| The Simpsons Ride indoor | Rarely | 1% | 2% | – |
We only have about 3 months of data for The Incredible Hulk Coaster, which isn't enough to rate it yet. As an outdoor coaster, expect it to close for lightning like VelociCoaster and Hagrid's.
Does VelociCoaster close when it rains?
Usually, yes. Jurassic World VelociCoaster was closed in 56% of the heavy-rain events we tracked (29 of 52). The catch is that it also goes down a lot in dry weather: at the same times on dry days it was closed 34% of the time. So if VelociCoaster is down on a sunny afternoon, it's probably a technical stop. Those were short: a typical dry-weather closure lasted about 10 minutes, compared with 42 minutes for a rain closure.
Mine-Cart Madness at Epic Universe behaves the same way. It was down in 70% of heavy-rain events, but also in 47% of dry ones.
When a ride closes for weather, Orlando Wait Time Predictor estimates when it's likely to come back, based on how similar outages have played out.
Get the appHow long do rides close for rain?
- Outdoor rides: a typical rain closure lasted 50 minutes, and 1 in 4 lasted 90 minutes or more.
- For comparison, a typical dry-weather closure (a technical stop) lasted 15 minutes.
- About 1 in 10 rain-linked closures didn't reopen before the park closed. A late-afternoon storm can end a ride's day.
- Longest typical rain closures: Hagrid's (80 min), Doctor Doom's Fearfall (65 min), Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls and Dragon Racer's Rally (60 min).
Rides close for lightning nearby, not rain itself, which is why a ride can stay shut after the rain has stopped. Theme park guides commonly report that outdoor rides wait about 30 minutes after the last nearby strike, then usually run test cycles before guests get back on.
What time of day do rides close for storms?
Orlando storms follow the clock. Share of all rain-linked closures by the hour they started:
Share of rain-linked closures by start hour, all three parks. The 2–6 PM hours are highlighted.
- 55% of rain closures started between 2 PM and 6 PM. The single worst hour was 3–4 PM.
- Only 6% happened before noon.
- 76% happened between May and August, Florida's wet season.
What that means: on a summer day, do the outdoor coasters in the morning, and save indoor rides, shows and food for the afternoon.
Universal Orlando rain policy
- No refunds or rain checks for rain or thunderstorms. Parks stay open in normal storms.
- Rides close for lightning, not light rain. Indoor rides can occasionally pause too, but much less often.
- Hurricanes are different. Universal has a separate policy when a hurricane or tropical storm warning is issued. Check Universal's official website if a named storm is forecast for your dates.
Your rainy-day plan: what to ride when it rains
Universal Studios Florida
Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, Revenge of the Mummy, Transformers: The Ride-3D, Men in Black Alien Attack, The Simpsons Ride, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, Illumination's Villain-Con Minion Blast, Fast & Furious – Supercharged, E.T. Adventure and Race Through New York.
Islands of Adventure
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man and The Cat in the Hat. The Hogwarts Express also kept running and links the two parks, if you have a park-to-park ticket.
Epic Universe
Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment and Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge.
Tips
- Head indoors at the first rumble. Indoor lines grow fast as everyone comes in from the closed coasters.
- Check the reopen estimate before you walk away from a closed ride you really want. If it's likely back in 20 minutes, it may be worth waiting nearby.
- Use single rider lines where they're open to cut your wait on the busy indoor rides.
- Pack a poncho. Ride closures are about lightning; you can still walk the park in light rain.
Frequently asked questions
Which Universal Orlando rides close in the rain?
Outdoor rides. In our data, 12 rides closed in at least half of heavy-rain events: Trolls Trollercoaster, Doctor Doom's Fearfall, Flight of the Hippogriff, Pteranodon Flyers, Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges, Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, Jurassic Park River Adventure, Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls, Fyre Drill, Curse of the Werewolf, Hiccup's Wing Gliders and Stardust Racers. None of the 16 indoor rides we tracked showed a clear rain effect.
Does VelociCoaster close when it rains?
Usually, yes. Jurassic World VelociCoaster was down in 56% of heavy-rain events we tracked. It also has a lot of downtime in dry weather (34% at the same times on dry days), so a closed VelociCoaster isn't always about the weather.
Which Epic Universe rides close in the rain?
Stardust Racers, Hiccup's Wing Gliders, Fyre Drill and Curse of the Werewolf closed in 50–60% of heavy-rain events. Mine-Cart Madness, Dragon Racer's Rally and Yoshi's Adventure are also affected. Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, Monsters Unchained and Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge are indoors and kept running.
How long do Universal rides close for rain?
A typical rain closure on an outdoor ride lasted about 50 minutes, and 1 in 4 lasted 90 minutes or more. About 1 in 10 rain-linked closures didn't reopen before the park closed.
Does Universal Orlando give refunds or rain checks for bad weather?
No. Universal doesn't offer refunds or exchanges for rain or thunderstorms. Separate rules apply to hurricanes and tropical storm warnings, so check Universal's official weather policy if a named storm is forecast.
What time of day do rides close for storms at Universal?
Mostly mid-to-late afternoon. 55% of rain-linked closures we recorded started between 2 PM and 6 PM, and only 6% happened before noon. 76% happened between May and August.
How we did this
We used ride-status data logged roughly every 5 minutes, from January 2025 to April 2026 (Epic Universe since it opened in May 2025, and Universal Studios Florida from March 2025). A "closure" is any time a ride showed as closed or posted a 0-minute wait during park hours, after it had already opened that day. We left out one-reading blips, multi-day refurbishments and evenings when the whole park closed early for events such as Halloween Horror Nights. We matched closures to hourly Orlando weather from the Open-Meteo weather model, counting an hour as "rainy" at 0.02 inches per hour and "heavy rain" at 0.10 inches per hour. For each ride we compared how often it closed around rainy hours with the same times on dry days.
Weather comes from a model for the Orlando area, not a rain gauge at each ride, and rides actually close for lightning, so these numbers are a guide, not a guarantee. Each percentage is based on roughly 50–150 rain events, so treat differences of a few points as noise. Ride names are trademarks of their respective owners. Orlando Wait Time Predictor is not affiliated with Universal Destinations & Experiences.