It Was So Cold in Florida on New Year’s Eve That Epic Universe’s Snow Wraith Dragon Was Literally Frozen Solid—And It’s Both Hilarious and Concerning

Central Florida theme parks are designed to handle scorching heat and torrential downpours, but freezing temperatures? That’s a different story. On New Year’s Eve, as an Arctic blast swept through Orlando, Universal’s brand-new Epic Universe found itself dealing with an unexpected problem: their Snow Wraith dragon animatronic was frozen in place. And we’re not talking about a slight malfunction—this thing was completely stuck.

According to Inside the Magic, a comedy video clip shared on social media showed just how cold it was at Epic Universe that night. The Snow Wraith, one of the impressive dragon animatronics in the Isle of Berk area based on How to Train Your Dragon, was frozen solid—ironically living up to its name in the worst possible way.

What Exactly Happened to the Snow Wraith?

The Snow Wraith is one of Epic Universe’s standout animatronics. Positioned along the wall of the Spit Fyre Grill outdoor quick service restaurant, this dragon normally grins with all its teeth and roars icy mist at passersby. It’s designed to spew cold fog—that’s literally part of the show. But on New Year’s Eve, the temperatures dropped so low that the dragon’s mechanical systems couldn’t keep up.

Outdoor-facing animatronics and show figures are built to withstand a range of weather conditions, but sudden, prolonged cold can wreak havoc on sensors, hydraulics, and timing systems. When temperatures plunge into the 20s and 30s—something Orlando rarely sees—these systems can malfunction, causing characters to hold a pose longer than intended or effects to cycle offline while safety systems recalibrate.

This week’s Arctic blast offered a rare glimpse at what happens when Orlando’s theme park hardware collides with near-freezing temperatures usually reserved for much farther north. And for the Snow Wraith, that meant freezing in place while guests watched—and recorded the whole thing for social media.

It Wasn’t Just Epic Universe Feeling the Freeze

While the frozen Snow Wraith might have stolen the spotlight, the cold weather caused disruptions across Central Florida’s theme parks. Disney confirmed that Typhoon Lagoon would close for multiple days around New Year’s as temperatures dropped and wind chills made water attractions impractical. The park was scheduled to be closed on December 30 and 31, 2025, and January 1, 2026. Meanwhile, Disney’s other water park, Blizzard Beach, remained closed as part of the resort’s standard operational rotation, leaving Walt Disney World without any available water park options during this period.

Universal Orlando followed suit, shuttering its Volcano Bay water park amid the same Arctic blast. With daytime highs struggling to reach the upper 50s and overnight lows dipping into the 30s, water parks simply weren’t an option for the holiday crowds.

Why This Matters (And Why It’s Kind of Funny)

On one hand, seeing a dragon designed to breathe icy mist literally freeze because it’s too cold is objectively hilarious. The irony writes itself. But on the other hand, it raises some legitimate questions about how theme parks—especially brand-new ones like Epic Universe—handle extreme weather events that fall outside of Florida’s typical climate patterns.

Epic Universe officially opened in May 2025, making this its first winter season. While engineers undoubtedly planned for Florida’s typical weather (heat, humidity, afternoon thunderstorms), an Arctic blast on New Year’s Eve probably wasn’t high on the testing checklist. And to be fair, this kind of cold is rare for Orlando. New Year’s Eve morning saw lows around 36 degrees, the coldest for that date in roughly a quarter-century.

The good news? Forecasters expected temperatures to gradually climb back into the 60s and then 70s by the end of the week, bringing Central Florida closer to the warm, pool-friendly weather most visitors expect—and allowing those animatronics to return to their full range of motion.

The Silver Lining

If there’s a bright side to all this, it’s that Universal’s Epic Universe is learning these lessons early in its operational life. Every theme park goes through a break-in period where unexpected issues arise, and it’s better to discover that your outdoor animatronics struggle in freezing temperatures during Year One than during a major event years down the line.

Plus, the Snow Wraith incident gave guests a unique story to tell. How many people can say they visited Epic Universe on the one day the dragon designed to breathe ice got beaten by actual ice?

As temperatures return to normal and the Snow Wraith thaws out, one thing’s clear: theme parks in Florida are built for sunshine and summer storms—not Arctic blasts. But when those rare cold snaps do hit, at least we get some memorable moments (and viral videos) out of it.