Nick Jansen is an American meteorologist and television weather forecaster best known for his work as the chief meteorologist at KTTC-TV in Rochester, Minnesota. He has built his career around weather forecasting, severe-weather coverage, and public safety, becoming a familiar face to viewers across southeastern Minnesota and northeastern Iowa.
Jansen joined KTTC in June 2019 after working as a meteorologist in Illinois. His career began at WREX-TV in Rockford, where he worked as a weekend meteorologist, before he moved to WEEK-TV in Peoria as a morning meteorologist. He has spent his professional career with Quincy Media stations.
In addition to forecasting, Jansen has become known for his commitment to severe-weather coverage. He has covered major thunderstorms, tornado threats, winter storms, flooding, and other dangerous weather events. His work has also received recognition from the Upper Midwest Emmy Awards.
Jansen attracted national attention in 2025 when he was filmed texting his wife during a live severe-weather broadcast to make sure she and their infant daughter were safely sheltered. The incident sparked criticism from one viewer but also generated widespread support for the meteorologist and his decision to check on his family during a dangerous storm.
Who Is Nick Jansen?
Nick Jansen is a professional meteorologist who serves as the chief meteorologist at KTTC-TV, an NBC-affiliated television station serving Rochester, Minnesota, and surrounding communities. KTTC’s current team page identifies Jansen as its chief meteorologist and places him on the station’s First Alert Weather Team.
His responsibilities include forecasting daily weather conditions, tracking severe storms, explaining complicated weather patterns to viewers, and providing emergency information when dangerous conditions develop. Jansen has developed a reputation for taking severe weather seriously. His forecasts regularly focus on storm timing, rainfall, wind, hail, heat, air quality, and winter weather. His KTTC profile shows that he remains actively involved in daily forecasting in 2026.
Nick Jansen Age
Nick Jansen’s exact date of birth has not been publicly disclosed by KTTC. However, reputable news coverage identified him as 32 years old in August 2025. Based on that information, the best estimate is that Jansen is approximately 33 years old in 2026.
Jansen grew up in the Quad Cities area of Illinois, where he developed an interest in weather and eventually decided to make meteorology his profession. Illinois has remained important throughout his life. His professional career began there, and he later returned to the state for his first television meteorology positions before eventually moving to Minnesota. His relatively young age compared with many veteran television meteorologists makes his progression to a chief meteorologist position particularly notable.
Nick Jansen Family and Background
Jansen has generally kept information about his parents and childhood family life private. Public profiles do not provide reliable details about his parents’ names or occupations. What is better documented is his relationship with his wife, Angela, and the fact that the two grew up in the Quad Cities area of Illinois. According to KTTC, they have been together since high school.
Jansen’s family became part of his public story in 2025 after he was seen checking on his wife and infant daughter during a severe-weather broadcast. The incident gave viewers a rare glimpse into the personal side of a meteorologist whose professional responsibility is to warn the public about dangerous weather while his own family may also be affected by the same storms.
Nick Jansen Education
Jansen attended Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois, where he studied meteorology. He graduated in May 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology and also earned a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) certificate. His GIS training is particularly relevant to modern weather forecasting. Meteorologists use geographic information systems and mapping technologies to analyze weather patterns, visualize storm systems, and communicate complex information to viewers.
His academic background therefore combines traditional atmospheric science with geographic technology.
How Nick Jansen Started His Meteorology Career
Jansen entered broadcast meteorology shortly after graduating from Northern Illinois University. His first documented television position was with WREX-TV, the NBC affiliate in Rockford, Illinois, where he worked as the weekend meteorologist. He subsequently moved to WEEK-TV in Peoria, Illinois, where he became the station’s morning meteorologist.
These positions gave him experience in live television forecasting and helped him develop the communication skills necessary to explain weather information to a general audience. Rather than focusing exclusively on technical meteorological data, television meteorologists have to translate scientific information into forecasts that viewers can understand and act upon.
Nick Jansen at WREX-TV
Jansen began his professional broadcasting career at WREX-TV in Rockford. As a weekend meteorologist, he was responsible for producing forecasts and communicating weather conditions to viewers, including severe-weather information. His time at WREX gave him his first significant experience in a professional newsroom and helped establish his career within the Quincy Media television group. That connection would continue throughout his career.
Nick Jansen at WEEK-TV
After WREX, Jansen moved to WEEK-TV in Peoria, where he worked as the morning meteorologist. Morning meteorology is particularly demanding because forecasts have to be prepared and updated throughout a fast-moving broadcast schedule. Viewers rely on morning forecasts to make decisions about commuting, school, work, and travel. Jansen’s experience in Peoria helped prepare him for the larger responsibilities he would later assume at KTTC.
Nick Jansen at KTTC
Jansen joined the KTTC Weather Team in June 2019 as chief meteorologist. KTTC is based in Rochester, Minnesota, and serves communities throughout southeastern Minnesota and northeastern Iowa. His move to Rochester represented a major step forward in his career because he took on the chief meteorologist position relatively early in his professional life. Since joining KTTC, Jansen has become one of the station’s primary public faces during significant weather events. His daily work involves monitoring computer weather models, radar, satellite information, atmospheric conditions, and forecasts before presenting that information to viewers.
Nick Jansen as Chief Meteorologist
As Chief Meteorologist, Jansen leads weather coverage for KTTC’s First Alert Weather Team. His responsibilities extend beyond simply reading temperatures on television. He regularly tracks potentially dangerous weather and provides updates when storms threaten the region. KTTC’s website contains a substantial archive of forecasts written by Jansen, including coverage of severe thunderstorms, extreme heat, air-quality concerns, snow, freezing temperatures, and other weather events.
His reporting style generally emphasizes practical information: when storms will arrive, where they are expected to move, how strong they could become, and what residents should do to remain safe.
Nick Jansen’s Severe Weather Coverage
Severe weather has been an important part of Jansen’s work at KTTC. In 2025, he and the First Alert Weather Team conducted nearly three hours of continuous coverage during a major severe-weather event affecting southeastern Minnesota and northeastern Iowa. KTTC reported that the team remained on the air to provide updates as storms moved through the region.
Jansen has also been involved in Emmy-recognized weather coverage. The Upper Midwest Emmy records list him as part of KTTC’s team for a weather story involving a Lake City tornado and as a meteorologist on a KTTC evening newscast. This type of coverage is an important part of his professional identity because television meteorologists often become the primary source of information for communities facing severe weather.
Why Nick Jansen Went Viral in 2025
One of the most widely discussed moments of Jansen’s career occurred on July 28, 2025, during a severe-weather broadcast. Jansen had been on the air for an extended period as storms moved through the Rochester area. During a brief moment when another reporter was discussing a power outage, the camera showed Jansen looking down at his phone.
He was texting his wife, Angela, to make sure she and their infant daughter were awake and had moved to a safe location in their home. Jansen later explained that he was concerned about the storm and wanted to make certain his family was safe. Some viewers criticized him for using his phone during live coverage, calling the action unprofessional. Jansen responded publicly, explaining that he was both a meteorologist and a husband and father.
The story quickly spread beyond Minnesota and received widespread attention online. KTTC management supported Jansen and praised his work during the storm coverage. The episode ultimately gave viewers a different perspective on the people who provide severe-weather warnings: meteorologists are also members of the communities they are protecting, and their own families can be directly exposed to the storms they are covering.
Nick Jansen Wife
Nick Jansen is married to Angela Jansen, whom he often refers to as Angie. According to KTTC, the couple grew up in the Quad Cities and have been together since high school. They married in May 2018. Their relationship predates Jansen’s professional television career, making Angela a longtime part of his life.
The couple moved to Rochester when Jansen joined KTTC and initially shared their home with two cats, Nala and Ava. Jansen rarely makes his marriage the focus of his professional public profile, but the 2025 severe-weather incident showed how strongly he prioritizes his family.
Nick Jansen Children
Nick Jansen and his wife have a daughter named Jamie. Their daughter was an infant in 2025. News reports identified her as approximately five to six months old when Jansen became the subject of widespread attention for checking on his family during a live broadcast. Jansen’s decision to check on his wife and daughter during severe weather became one of the most personal moments publicly associated with his career.
Nick Jansen Height
Nick Jansen’s height is not officially listed by KTTC. He stands at approximately 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 meters). Because this measurement has not been independently confirmed by the meteorologist or his employer, it should be regarded as an estimate rather than an official figure.
Nick Jansen Salary
Nick Jansen’s exact salary is not publicly disclosed by KTTC or Quincy Media. His estimated annual salary is between $40,000 and $110,500. However, Jansen’s position as chief meteorologist and his years of experience suggest that his actual compensation could be toward or above the upper end of that range.
Nick Jansen Net Worth
Nick Jansen has an estimated net worth of between $1 million and $5 million. His fortune comes mainly from his successful career as a meteorologist.
Nick Jansen Hobbies and Personal Interests
Away from the weather desk, Jansen is a sports enthusiast, particularly when it comes to basketball. His official KTTC biography says that he enjoys spending time on basketball courts around the Rochester area. It also describes him as someone who enjoys meeting people and talking about sports and weather.
His interests fit naturally with his outgoing television personality. While his professional work requires him to focus heavily on atmospheric science and public safety, he has developed a reputation for engaging with viewers and members of the local community.
Nick Jansen Current Career
As of 2026, Nick Jansen remains the chief meteorologist at KTTC-TV in Rochester, Minnesota. KTTC’s current team listing confirms his position on the station’s First Alert Weather Team. He continues to produce regular forecasts and severe-weather reports for viewers throughout southeastern Minnesota and northeastern Iowa.
Recent KTTC articles show him actively forecasting weather in 2026, including spring frost, thunderstorms, summer heat, humidity, air-quality issues, and changing temperatures. His career continues to combine scientific forecasting with public communication, which is particularly important in a region that experiences a wide range of weather conditions throughout the year.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Nick Jansen?
Nick Jansen was reported as 32 years old in August 2025, making him approximately 33 years old in 2026. His exact birth date has not been publicly disclosed.
What is Nick Jansen’s height?
Nick Jansen is estimated to be approximately 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 meters) tall.
Who is Nick Jansen’s wife?
Nick Jansen is married to Angela Jansen. They grew up in the Quad Cities and have been together since high school. They married in May 2018.
Does Nick Jansen have children?
Yes. Nick and Angela have a daughter named Jamie, who was an infant in 2025.
What is Nick Jansen’s salary?
His exact salary is private. A reasonable 2026 estimate is approximately $100,000 per year, based on available salary estimates and his position as chief meteorologist.
What is Nick Jansen’s net worth?
Nick Jansen’s estimated net worth is approximately $2 million as of 2026. Public sources have placed his estimated wealth between $1 million and $5 million.
Where does Nick Jansen work?
Nick Jansen works at KTTC-TV in Rochester, Minnesota, where he serves as chief meteorologist.
Where did Nick Jansen go to college?
He attended Northern Illinois University, graduating in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology and a GIS certificate.