Ginger Zee: The Storm Chaser Who Became ABC News’ Chief Meteorologist
Ginger Zee has spent more than two decades chasing the very weather events most people run from, building a career that’s taken her into the eye wall of a hurricane, across wildfire zones on three continents, and eventually to the top meteorology job at one of America’s biggest news networks. Along the way, she’s also become one of television’s more visible advocates for open conversations about mental health.
Early Life and a Name From Gilligan’s Island
Ginger Renee Zuidgeest was born on January 13, 1981, in Orange, California, to parents Robert Zuidgeest and Dawn Zuidgeest-Craft. Her first name traces back to an unlikely source: her father was a fan of “Gilligan’s Island” and named her after the show’s character Ginger. Not long after her birth, Zee’s family relocated to Michigan, where she spent the majority of her childhood, attending Rockford High School.
Zee has described developing a genuine fascination with weather from an early age, inspired directly by Michigan’s dramatic and highly variable climate. Her parents actively encouraged her scientific curiosity, and by her own account, she set a specific career goal for herself while still in school: to become a meteorologist on a major national morning show by the time she turned 30.
Ginger Zee Age
How old is Ginger Zee? As of 2025, Zee is 44 years old. She was born Ginger Renée Zuidgeest on January 13, 1981, in Orange, California, n the United States. In addition, she celebrates her birthday on January 13 each year.
Ginger Zee Education
Zee graduated from Rockford High School in Michigan, where she was noted for her intellectual curiosity and love of science. After high school, she attended Valparaiso University and earned a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology.
She minored in Spanish and mathematics at Valparaiso University and was interested in campus forecasting and weather-related studies. She believes that her schooling provided her with the foundation and confidence she needed to pursue a career in broadcast meteorology.
Ginger Zee Parents
Zee was born to Dawn Zuidgeest-Craft and Robert Zuidgeest. She was named “Ginger” after Ginger Grant, the character from the classic TV show Gilligan’s Island.
Her family traveled frequently owing to her father’s business, residing in Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois, where she found her love of weather after seeing a waterspout on Lake Michigan as a youngster.
Zee has many siblings and half-siblings, including Sean Jeffrey Zuidgeest, Walter “Wally” Zuidgeest, and Adrianna Craft. Her family’s Dutch ancestry, strong work ethic, and encouragement fueled her desire to excel.
Studying Meteorology and Storm Chasing in College
Zee attended Valparaiso University in Indiana, earning her Bachelor of Science degree in meteorology, along with additional coursework in mathematics and Spanish. It was during her college years that she began storm chasing, a pursuit she has continued throughout her career and one that would eventually become central to her professional identity as a broadcast meteorologist willing to report from directly inside the events she covers rather than from a studio desk. She later returned to Valparaiso as an adjunct professor, teaching there from 2008 to 2011 even while working full time in television.
Building a Career Across the Midwest
Zee’s professional broadcasting career began at a series of stations across Michigan and Indiana. She started at WLAV-FM and WXMI in Grand Rapids, and at WYIN, a PBS station in Merrillville, Indiana. From 2003 to 2005, she worked at WEYI, NBC 25 in Flint, Michigan, before moving to WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids, where she became part of the station’s Storm Team 8, covering weather alongside broader environmental and science reporting across West Michigan.
From 2006 to 2011, Zee worked as a meteorologist at WMAQ-Channel 5, the NBC-owned station in Chicago, also regularly filling in on national NBC and MSNBC News programs during this period — experience that gave her direct exposure to network-level broadcasting years before she formally joined a national network herself.
Joining ABC News
Zee joined ABC News in 2011, a moment she described at the time as an absolute dream come true, achieving the network morning-show meteorologist goal she’d set for herself years earlier, and doing so before turning 30. She initially served as meteorologist for “Good Morning America Weekend,” making early appearances on “Nightline” and “World News Tonight” as well, before being promoted to chief meteorologist for the network. Today, she holds the dual title of chief meteorologist and chief climate correspondent at ABC News, reporting across “Good Morning America” and the network’s full range of broadcast and digital platforms.
A Career Reporting From Inside the Storm
Since joining ABC, Zee has covered nearly every major weather event and natural disaster in the United States, often reporting directly from the middle of it. Her coverage has included broadcasting from the devastated Jersey Shore during Hurricane Sandy, reporting on the Colorado floods and wildfires, and covering the aftermath of the devastating tornadoes that struck Moore and El Reno, Oklahoma. Her more recent reporting has taken her into the eye wall of Hurricane Helene, and she has covered wildfires not just across California but internationally in France and Australia, along with blizzards and tornado outbreaks stretching from Alabama to Oklahoma. Across all of this coverage, Zee has said she works to keep the human impact of these events at the center of her reporting, treating each storm story as fundamentally a story about the people affected by it rather than simply a meteorological event.
Climate Reporting and “Climate A to Zee”
As chief climate correspondent, Zee has expanded her role at ABC News Live to include hosting several climate-focused specials, along with a recurring segment called “Climate A to Zee,” through which she’s said she aims to serve as a conduit connecting viewers to the latest climate science and potential solutions to the climate crisis, extending her expertise well beyond day-to-day weather forecasting into longer-form environmental journalism.
Television Beyond Weather Reporting
Zee’s on-screen work has extended into projects well outside traditional weather forecasting. She co-hosts the ABC weekend program “Hearts of Heroes,” spotlighting first responders across the country. She created and hosted two seasons of an original ABC News digital series called “Food Forecast.” She also lent her voice to the character Dr. Zephyr Skye, a storm-chasing alien, in Disney Junior’s animated series “Miles from Tomorrowland” — a role that let her combine her meteorology expertise with children’s educational programming.
In 2016, Zee competed on the 22nd season of “Dancing with the Stars,” partnered with professional dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy; the pair finished the competition in third place, giving Zee a notable crossover moment into competitive entertainment television alongside her broadcast journalism career.
Marriage and “Renovation Realities”
Zee is married to television personality Ben Aaron. The couple starred together in “Renovation Realities: Ben & Ginger” on the DIY Network, a home renovation series following the pair’s own real-life home improvement projects — giving audiences a glimpse of Zee’s life outside of storm coverage and news broadcasting.
Author and Mental Health Advocate
Zee has written five books over the course of her career, including her 2017 bestseller “Natural Disaster: I Cover Them, I Am One,” and her 2022 memoir, “A Little Closer to Home: How I Found the Calm After the Storm.” In her writing and public appearances, Zee has spoken openly about her own experiences with therapy and medication, using her platform to advocate for greater openness around mental health treatment — a level of personal disclosure that has made her one of the more visible mental health advocates among major network on-air talent.
Awards and Recognition
Zee’s body of work has earned her both Emmy and Edward R. Murrow Awards over the course of her career, and she has been inducted into the Weather Hall of Fame, one of the meteorology field’s most significant professional honors. She also holds the Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) seal, a professional accreditation recognizing meteorological expertise and broadcast communication skill.
Personal Life
Zee resides in New York City with her husband, Ben Aaron, continuing to base her ABC News reporting work out of the city while maintaining the storm-chasing and field-reporting career that has defined much of her professional life since college.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Ginger Renee Zuidgeest |
| Born | January 13, 1981, Orange, California |
| Education | Valparaiso University (BS, Meteorology) |
| Employer | ABC News (since 2011) |
| Current role | Chief Meteorologist and Chief Climate Correspondent |
| Previously | WMAQ-Channel 5 Chicago; WOOD-TV Grand Rapids; WEYI Flint |
| Author | Five books, including “Natural Disaster” (2017) and “A Little Closer to Home” (2022) |
| Spouse | Ben Aaron |
FAQ
What is Ginger Zee’s role at ABC News?
She serves as chief meteorologist and chief climate correspondent, reporting across “Good Morning America” and ABC News’ broadcast and digital platforms.
Did Ginger Zee compete on Dancing with the Stars?
Yes — she competed in the show’s 22nd season in 2016, partnered with Valentin Chmerkovskiy, finishing in third place.
What has Ginger Zee written about?
She’s authored five books, including the bestseller “Natural Disaster” and her 2022 memoir “A Little Closer to Home,” in which she discusses her personal experience with mental health treatment.
Where did Ginger Zee work before ABC News?
She worked at WMAQ-Channel 5 in Chicago from 2006 to 2011, and before that at stations in Flint and Grand Rapids, Michigan.
A Career Built on Getting Closer to the Storm
From a childhood fascination with Michigan’s unpredictable weather to reporting live from inside a hurricane’s eye wall, Ginger Zee’s career has consistently been defined by a willingness to get closer to the story rather than cover it from a distance. Combined with her expanding climate reporting, bestselling books, and outspoken mental health advocacy, her role at ABC News has grown well beyond a traditional weather desk into one of the network’s most versatile on-air positions.
