Meteorologist Joel Young Joins KARK/KLRT

Joel Young, a new meteorologist at KARK and KLRT

The KARK/KLRT newsroom in Little Rock welcomed a new meteorologist this week. He’s Joel Young, a Mississippi native most recently seen on Fox13 in Memphis.

Young announced the new job in a social media post Thursday, and Friday was his first day at Little Rock’s collaborative newsroom for KARK Channel 4, Little Rock’s NBC affiliate, and KLRT Channel 16, a Fox outlet.

“Starting next week you’ll be able to catch me every weekday morning,” Young’s LinkedIn post said. “Then on weekends, you’ll probably find me out hiking or kayaking somewhere up in the Ozarks.”

KARK and KLRT News Director Ernie Paulson told Arkansas Business that Young had weather experience in Biloxi and in Sioux Falls, South Dakota before freelancing in Memphis.

“He has a big personality and great energy that I think our morning viewers will love,” Paulson said, adding that Young will do the weather at 4 a.m. on “KARK 4 Today,” traffic from 5 to 7 and then go back to weather from 7 to 9 on “FOX 16 Good Day Arkansas.”

“He is also a storm chaser and will be doing just that this spring for the Arkansas Storm Team,” the newsroom’s name for its severe weather reporting crew, Paulson said. “Adding that piece to our storm coverage will help us in our most important job… keeping people safe.”

Young is a graduate of Mississippi State University in Starkville.

Paulson said Young has a strong social media presence. “He is very active on Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok, and will also use those platforms to help keep people safe during severe weather.”