Lori Pinson is a meteorologist and journalist at WJBK/FOX 2 Detroit. As of September 11, 2026, FOX 2 lists her as a Meteorologist who provides weather Saturday through Wednesday mornings. Her public work extends beyond forecasting into science education, local feature reporting and animal-welfare journalism.
Pinson has worked in broadcast meteorology for decades, with documented roles in Baltimore and Detroit before joining WJBK in 2015. Among the most distinctive parts of her career is an early effort to make weather coverage more accessible: her signed weathercasts at Baltimore station WBFF were recognized in the weathercasting category at the 2000 Capital Region Emmy Awards.
Her more recent work has broadened further through projects such as Lori’s Science Corner, Lori’s Hidden Michigan and Lori’s Stories, as well as reporting on Detroit animal-rescue group The Karens.
Need to know
- Lori Pinson is currently a meteorologist at FOX 2 Detroit/WJBK, where she is listed for Saturday-through-Wednesday morning weather.
- Her professional credentials include a National Weather Association Seal of Approval, and FOX 2 and the National Science Teaching Association identify her as an American Meteorological Society-certified broadcast meteorologist.
- Her signed weathercasting at WBFF received Capital Region Emmy recognition in 2000.
- She joined WJBK in October 2015 after working at WGAL in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and had previously worked in Detroit at WWJ and WKBD/CW50.
- Her recent journalism includes The Karens, an animal-rescue feature that received significant recognition in the 2026 awards cycle.
Lori Pinson profile summary
| Detail | Verified information |
|---|---|
| Profession | Meteorologist and broadcast journalist |
| Current station | WJBK / FOX 2 Detroit |
| Current title | Meteorologist |
| Current schedule | Saturday through Wednesday mornings, as of September 11, 2026 |
| Joined WJBK | October 2015 |
| Prior documented Detroit stations | WWJ and WKBD/CW50 |
| Education | Cass Technical High School and Wayne State University, according to a 2015 FOX 2 staff memo |
| Postgraduate study | Environmental Science and Policy study at Johns Hopkins University |
| Professional credential | National Weather Association Seal of Approval |
| Major areas of work | Weather forecasting, science education, local features and animal-welfare reporting |
Detroit roots and education
Pinson’s return to WJBK in 2015 was presented internally as a homecoming. A FOX 2 staff memo reproduced by FTVLive identified her as a graduate of Cass Technical High School and Wayne State University and described Detroit-area memories that included fishing on the Detroit River and flying radio-controlled planes with her father.
The exact field and year of her Wayne State degree have not been established in the reliable public record used for this profile. Claims on some biography sites that she attended Penn State are not supported by the stronger documentation available here.
FOX 2’s current biography also says Pinson’s postgraduate work included studying Environmental Science and Policy at Johns Hopkins University. That wording supports postgraduate study, but not a claim that she completed a particular Johns Hopkins degree.
Her father also appears in one of the clearest first-person accounts of her early career. In a 2011 essay for CBS Detroit, Pinson recalled that when she took her first job, he drove hundreds of miles with her car and belongings. It is a small but useful glimpse of the practical support behind the beginning of her broadcasting career.
Career beginnings and the signed weathercast
By 2000, Pinson was working at WBFF in Baltimore. That year, a contemporary Washington Post report on the Capital Region Emmy Awards listed her among the weathercasting winners for an entry titled “Signed Weather for the Deaf and Special Needs Students.”
That distinction matters because it documents an accessibility-focused part of her work early in her career. The strongest evidence establishes the signed weathercast and its regional Emmy recognition; it does not establish some of the additional claims repeated by derivative biography sites, such as specific American Sign Language training or fluency.
FOX 2’s current profile says Pinson later served as a chief meteorologist in Baltimore. Historical evidence supports that broader role, though the exact start and end dates are not fully reconstructed.
The National Weather Association’s historical awards record also identifies Pinson as its 2002 Broadcaster of the Year.
Returning to Detroit television
Pinson’s Detroit television history predates her current FOX 2 role.
In March 2009, Broadcasting & Cable reported that CBS-owned WWJ was launching First Forecast Mornings and named Pinson as the meteorologist providing the weather. Two years later, a CBS Detroit archive documented her forecasting on WKBD/CW50 morning news.
A later FOX 2 internal memo said she worked mornings at Detroit’s Channel 62 until 2012.
Pinson subsequently worked at WGAL in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. In October 2015, WJBK hired her from WGAL, bringing her back to Detroit and beginning the FOX 2 chapter of her career.
FOX 2’s biography also says she previously worked as a national science correspondent for London-based ITN. That role is reported by her employer, but its exact dates have not been independently established in the available record.
Meteorology credentials
Pinson is listed by the National Weather Association among its television and radio Seal of Approval holders, with seal number 9801559-I.
FOX 2 also identifies her as holding an American Meteorological Society broadcast meteorology credential. The National Science Teaching Association independently described her as an AMS-certified meteorologist when it featured her in a 2021 weather seminar.
Those credentials help explain why her public role has extended into science education as well as day-to-day forecasting.
Science education and Michigan storytelling
Pinson has repeatedly used her broadcast platform for work outside the standard weather segment.
In December 2018, FOX 2 introduced Lori’s Hidden Michigan, a feature series centered on lesser-known places and stories around the state.
During the pandemic era, she developed Lori’s Science Corner in partnership with the National Science Teaching Association. In her own FOX 2 introduction to the project, Pinson described it as a way to bring science learning into the home through accessible experiments and demonstrations.
That work created a natural bridge between her meteorology background and educational broadcasting. Rather than treating science communication as separate from weather, the project used her professional subject knowledge as the foundation for broader public learning.
Pinson has also documented a creative interest in restoring antique and vintage furniture. In a 2021 FOX 2 feature, she wrote that the hobby developed while she was working from home during the COVID shutdown. Viewer interest eventually prompted her to film and edit a restoration demonstration under the name Painted By Pinson.
Awards beyond weather forecasting
Pinson’s recognition has not been limited to traditional meteorology.
The National Association of Black Journalists named her among its 2020 Salute to Excellence winners for “FlyinBrian” in the Television — Top 15 Markets — Sports category.
She received another NABJ Salute to Excellence honor in 2022 for “Olympic Hopeful,” again in the Top 15 Markets sports category.
Those awards show that her work had expanded well beyond forecasting before her more recent feature-reporting projects.
The Karens and recent reporting
One of Pinson’s most consequential recent projects has been her reporting on The Karens, a Detroit-area dog-rescue team.
A FOX 2 report published in August 2025 stated that its reporting was based on a ride-along with the group as rescuers worked in Detroit during summer heat. That detail gives the project a stronger reporting foundation than a studio interview or promotional profile alone.
The work went on to receive multiple forms of recognition.
In the Michigan Association of Broadcasters’ 2026 awards cycle, WJBK’s entry “The Karens”, credited to Pinson, received Best in the Feature Story category. The wording is important: MAB says its awards are made to stations rather than individual talent, even when contributors are named.
The same MAB results gave WJBK’s “Lori’s Stories” a Merit award in OTT Content. That distinction is more precise than descriptions suggesting the show won the category’s top prize.
FOX 2 also reported in June 2026 that Pinson and James McCardell won a Michigan Emmy for a story about The Karens. The exact official Emmy category was not established in the source record available for this profile, so it is better not to add one.
Current work at FOX 2 Detroit
Pinson remains active at FOX 2.
The station’s current team directory lists her on Saturday through Wednesday mornings, and FOX 2 published a new Metro Detroit forecast under her name on September 7, 2026. Two days earlier, the station posted another installment of Lori’s Stories, showing that her current work continues to combine meteorology with longer-form feature programming.
Her recent public activity also includes community and animal-welfare work. The Michigan Animal Rescue League listed Pinson as an honorary co-chair for its Yappy Hour scheduled for September 24, 2026.
In November 2025, she also served as a co-host, alongside Lisha B, for the Foundation for Pops’ A Night of Heroes Gala.
Those activities fit the broader public-facing pattern of her recent career, but they should not be used to infer private beliefs or motivations.
What is publicly known about her age and personal life?
Reliable sources establish considerably more about Pinson’s professional career than about her private life.
No authoritative date of birth was established in the verified record used for this profile, so her exact age should not be stated as fact. Online biography pages publish conflicting figures, but repetition does not make those numbers reliable.
The same applies to claims about her husband, children, height, ethnicity, salary and net worth. None was supported strongly enough by the verified sources to include as established biographical fact.
That distinction is especially important because there are multiple people named Lori Pinson, including a Texas real-estate agent. Details from unrelated namesakes can easily be mixed into an inaccurate biography.
FAQ
Is Lori Pinson still at FOX 2 Detroit?
Yes. As of September 11, 2026, FOX 2’s staff directory lists Lori Pinson as a meteorologist, and the station published weather coverage under her name on September 7, 2026.
What days is Lori Pinson on FOX 2?
FOX 2 currently lists her as providing weather Saturday through Wednesday mornings.
When did Lori Pinson join FOX 2?
WJBK hired her in October 2015, when she moved to the station from WGAL in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Where did Lori Pinson work before FOX 2?
Her documented career includes WBFF in Baltimore, WWJ and WKBD/CW50 in Detroit, and WGAL in Lancaster before her move to WJBK. FOX 2 also says she worked as a national science correspondent for ITN.
Where did Lori Pinson go to school?
A 2015 FOX 2 staff memo identified her as a graduate of Cass Technical High School and Wayne State University. FOX 2 also says her postgraduate work included studying Environmental Science and Policy at Johns Hopkins University.
What awards has Lori Pinson won?
Her documented honors include Capital Region Emmy recognition for signed weathercasting in 2000, the National Weather Association’s 2002 Broadcaster of the Year designation, NABJ Salute to Excellence awards in 2020 and 2022, and recent recognition connected with WJBK’s The Karens reporting.
How old is Lori Pinson?
Her exact age is not publicly confirmed by an authoritative source in the verified record used for this profile.
Conclusion
Lori Pinson’s documented career is most clearly understood through the work itself: broadcast meteorology, accessible weather communication, science education and an expanding body of local feature reporting.
As of September 2026, she remains an active FOX 2 Detroit meteorologist while continuing projects that extend beyond the forecast. That combination of long-running weather work and broader public-interest storytelling is the strongest evidence-based through-line in her public profile.
