Tallahatchie County native Joel Young has been promoted to chief meteorologist with KLRT-TV, the local FOX affiliate in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Young’s promotion was announced last week.
As a certified broadcast meteorologist with the Arkansas Storm Team since March 2022, Young has continued to build on his more than 16 years of professional experience in the field of meteorology.
His work has earned him certification through the American Meteorological Society, three Emmy nominations and various Associated Press awards.
Graduating from Mississippi State University in 2012, he began his professional career working as a fill-in meteorologist and news reporter at WABG-TV 6, the ABC affiliate in Greenville, where he worked nearly three years.
For 13 months, he was a weekend meteorologist and weekday reporter for KDLT-TV in the cold-weather climate of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, before moving back to the South to become weekend meteorologist for WLOX-TV in Biloxi.
After more than two years on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Young moved to northeast Mississippi, where he became the morning meteorologist at WTVA-TV 9 in Tupelo. His longest working stint at any television station to date, Young served in Tupelo from June 2015 until July 2021.
Beginning in November 2021, he worked for five months as a freelance meteorologist with WHBQ-TV, FOX 13, in Memphis.
He moved to Little Rock in March 2022, becoming the morning meteorologist at KARK-TV 4. In March 2023, Young earned fame for being the first to issue a warning for a high-end EF3 tornado that devastated portions of Little Rock and North Little Rock.
After three-plus years, he received the promotion with KARK sister station KLRT.
In a recent post on his Facebook page, Young noted that he is “so honored” by the promotion.
“Since moving to Arkansas in 2022, I’ve covered some of the most intense and stressful weather moments in Central Arkansas — from devastating tornadoes and winter storms to wildfires and floods,” he wrote. “Through it all, I’ve come to love this community and the responsibility that comes with helping keep our viewers safe.”
A Charleston native, Young graduated from Charleston High School in 2007. He spent two years at Delta State University and three at MSU, where he graduated in meteorology. He has engaged in additional studies and work-related experiences, including flying into hurricanes, traveling into hurricanes on the ground where weather balloons were released for atmospheric studies, and conducting tornado storm chases across the South and in Oklahoma.
He is the son of Pastor and Mrs. Joe Young of Charleston.
Sun-Sentinel Editor and Publisher Clay McFerrin contributed to this story.
