KARE-11 Chief Meteorologist Belinda Jensen is Retiring

KARE-11 Chief Meteorologist Belinda Jensen announced earlier this winter that she would be retiring. Her last evening weather reports will air tomorrow night and her final “Grow With Kare” show will be this Saturday, May 2nd, from 8-to-10 a.m.

Jensen was born in St. Paul – one of 5 children in her family, living in Apple Valley, and then her family moved to the Prescott, Wisconsin area – along the St. Croix River. She says she was planning to be a teacher, and ironically, she had to do a term paper when she was a sophomore – so she called meteorologist Paul Douglas to interview him for her paper and got an “A” on it.

Jensen says she went to Mankato State, and then finished her atmospheric science degree at the University of Wisconsin, then decided to get her masters at the University of Utah since her parents had moved there. She says she worked as a producer at a TV station in Salt Lake City and when the weatherman for the morning show vanished, she filled in – with no intention of ever being on TV, and ended up there for 3 years.

Jensen says Paul Douglas called her to say that there was an opening at KARE-11 for a weekend weather person, so she filled that role for 13 years – and worked with Ken Barlow after Paul Douglas left the station for Chicago, and then when Ken moved to Boston, she became the Chief Meterologist at KARE-11 nearly 21 years ago. She says the Minnesota weather has made the past 33 years very challenging, but it has been a rewarding career.

Jensen says she will be spending her time speaking – as she loves to talk to young people about science, and will continue to promote her “Bel, the Weather Girl” books. She will also be leading a travel group to Italy this fall. She will also be inducted into the Minnesota Broadcasters Hall of Fame this fall.