Zoe Barajaz is the weekend meteorologist at NBC 26.
Born and raised in Darien, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, Zoe's passion for weather grew out of a childhood fear of thunderstorms. She overcame that fear by watching her local meteorologists provide storm coverage on television and has been fascinated by weather ever since.
Zoe attended Valparaiso University, where she earned a degree in meteorology. During college, she was involved in multiple student organizations, including Valparaiso University Television (VUTV). At VUTV, she gained experience forecasting the weather and providing live weather coverage for northwest Indiana and parts of northeast Illinois. Her time at Valparaiso also gave her the opportunity to forecast a wide variety of weather events and communicate that information to the public.
When she's not forecasting the weather, Zoe enjoys watching movies and TV shows, listening to music, spending time with family and friends, singing, and reading.
