Universal Studios Orlando Shutting Down Due to Hurricane Ian

With the upcoming threat of Hurricane Ian lurking in the Gulf of Mexico, Universal Orlando Resort has announced that they will be closing on Wednesday, September 28th, along with CityWalk, and won't re-open until Friday, September 30th. The storm is set to make landfall in the state of Florida within the next day and will make its way through Central Florida on Thursday. According to the Seminole County director of the office for emergency management revealed they're expecting as much as 15 inches of rain. In addition to the park and CityWalk, Universal's Halloween Horror Nights event will also be cancelled for those two days.

The full statement from Universal Orlando reads: "Due to Hurricane Ian, Universal Orlando Resort, including CityWalk, will close on Wednesday, Sept. 28. We will remain closed on Thursday and anticipate reopening on Friday, Sept. 30 as conditions permit. Our hotels are currently at full capacity and will remain operational as they focus on taking care of our guests. Also, our Halloween Horror Nights event at Universal Studios Florida will be canceled Wednesday, Sept. 28 and Thursday, Sept. 29. We anticipate reopening the event on Friday, Sept. 30 conditions permitting."

Luckily for those that may have been planning a trip to Universal Orlando in the next two days, the park's Severe Weather Policy allows those that purchased Universal Parks & Resorts Vacations Package, hotel room only accommodations and Universal Orlando theme park tickets booked directly with Universal Orlando to reschedule or cancel their trip.

In addition to Universal Orlando Resort, their competition on the other side of the interstate, Walt Disney World Resorts will also be shutting their doors. The four theme parks, Disney World, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom, will all be shut down along with the Disney water parks, which will all be shut down for the next two days as well.

(H/T Deadline)