Joe Lauria is the evening news meteorologist for FOX4. You can watch him each weeknight at 5, 6, 9 and 10 p.m. His mantra for every weathercast is to teach his viewers something that they may not know about…something that they can’t find on their weather app.
He joined the station in January 1995, but weather has been an important part of his life since childhood. Growing up in New York, Joe remembers being fascinated by clouds and snowstorms at the age of 10. Winter remains his favorite weather season because of those hard-to-forecast snowstorms.
This award-winning meteorologist was Chief Meteorologist at KOSA-TV in Midland, Texas for six years. It was there that the Associated Press voted him the best Weathercaster of the year for the state of Texas. He also has been Chief Meteorologist at WAYK-TV in Orlando, Florida and KFKF-FM in Kansas City and WCEE-TV in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. Over the years he’s done local radio forecasts for KMBZ-AM and WHB-AM.
Besides his FOX 4 weather forecasts, Joe gives dozens of speeches and severe weather seminars for the young and old each year. Talking to adults…he loves speaking about how TV stations now cover bad weather…it certainly has changed a lot over the last 10 years or so. He was named president of the KC Chapter of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) for both 2001-02 and 2002- 03, and again in 2014 and has been Vice President from 2008-2013… and also is a member of the National Weather Association (NWA). Both organizations have given him their Seal of Approval for excellence in weather broadcasting. As a way of giving back to the weather community, he used to judge TV candidates nationwide in order for them to obtain this prestigious certification. He also has been awarded the highest honor possible for a TV meteorologist when he obtained the Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) designation from the AMS, which fewer than 650 people have. He most recently was honored again as having the Best Weathercast in the state of Missouri by the Missouri Broadcasters Association and has also received the same honors from the Kansas Broadcasters Association. He also received an Emmy nomination for his coverage of the 2019 Linwood tornado.
In 1984, Joe graduated from St. Louis University with a bachelor’s degree in meteorology. Joe considers one of his career highlights to be helping our viewers get through the tornado outbreaks that have affected the area for the past years including the May 4, 2003 KC Tornado Outbreak.
When he is not working, Joe enjoys traveling, sports, and especially playing golf…he even has a hole-in-one and enjoys playing in numerous charitable golf tournaments throughout the season. A native of New Rochelle, New York, Joe currently resides in Olathe, Kansas with his wife Jaye Lynn and their 2 cats. His favorite things about the city are the great Italian restaurants and, of course, the golf courses.
