Belinda Jensen

Jensen is married to David Hopkins, a California native she met while living in Utah. They settled in Edina, Minnesota, to remain close to the television studio. The couple has two children, Tanner and Tori. They also keep two Bernese Mountain dogs named Koda and Kenai.

Outdoor sports fill much of her free time. She skis in winter and paddle boards across local lakes in the summer. At home, she spends time gardening and cooking for friends and family.

Jensen grew up along the St. Croix River in Prescott, Wisconsin, where she developed an early interest in science. In tenth grade, she interviewed local television forecaster Paul Douglas for a high school physics paper. Douglas encouraged her to study atmospheric science. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a bachelor of science degree in meteorology.

Her television career began in Utah. She started behind the camera creating graphics and weather maps for KTVX. In December 1990, she moved in front of the camera when a morning host left abruptly. She gained additional technical experience working with the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City.

In September 1993, Douglas recruited her to audition for an open weekend meteorologist role at KARE 11 in Minneapolis. The Midwest was enduring historic flooding at the time. With no studio ear prompts telling her when to wrap up, Jensen delivered an unscripted, 13-minute breakdown of the storm patterns. The station hired her immediately. In December 2005, she became chief meteorologist. She later received the AMS Seal of Approval and co-hosted programs including KARE 11 Saturday, Grow with KARE, and Minnesota Bound.

After visiting elementary school classrooms for decades, Jensen noticed many young children experienced anxiety during severe storms. Her daughter and pet dog had similar reactions. To help ease those fears, she created the Bel the Weather Girl book series in 2016.

The illustrated books explain meteorological concepts using straightforward science. Published titles include Weather Clues in the Sky: Clouds, A Snowstorm Shows Off: Blizzards, and Spinning Wind and Water: Hurricanes. In each story, the young title character uses science to comfort her frightened cousin Dylan and her dog Stormy.