Ginger Zee was born Ginger Renée Zuidgeest on January 13, 1981, in Orange, California, and grew up in Rockford, Michigan. She decided to become a meteorologist at age eight after seeing a waterspout on Lake Michigan. Zee graduated from Rockford High School in 1999 and earned a meteorology degree from Valparaiso University. She began storm chasing in college and started her broadcast career at small Michigan stations.

Zee worked at WEYI in Flint, Michigan, then joined WOOD-TV as part of Storm Team 8. She moved to NBC’s WMAQ-TV in Chicago in 2006, also filling in for NBC and MSNBC. Zee also served as an adjunct professor of meteorology at Valparaiso University from 2008 to 2011. She left Chicago in 2011 to join ABC News as a GMA weekend weather anchor.

Zee was named ABC’s chief meteorologist in 2013, the first woman to hold that title at a major network. She now also serves as chief climate correspondent, leading ABC’s coverage of hurricanes, wildfires, and other extreme weather. Zee competed on Dancing with the Stars in 2016 and co-hosts ABC’s weekend series Hearts of Heroes. She has authored five books, including the bestsellers Natural Disaster and A Little Closer to Home.