Ryan Hoke Biography: Age, Height, WAVE News Louisville, Wife, Salary, Net Worth & 2026 Forecast Updates
Ryan Hoke is the Emmy-winning American broadcast meteorologist who has been keeping Louisville, Kentucky ahead of the weather since 2013 at WAVE News. An AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist, storm chaser and weather-graphic innovator, he built his first forecast website as a high-schooler, chased Great Plains superstorms as a tour guide, and turned a childhood obsession into a 13-plus-year television career — all from his hometown of Louisville.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Ryan Hoke |
| Nick Name | Hokey (from his “Hokey Weather Fact” segments) |
| Profession | Broadcast Meteorologist, Storm Chaser, Weather Graphic Designer |
| Birth Date | Not publicly disclosed (reportedly born 1990) |
| Age | Mid-30s (exact date private) |
| Birth Place | Louisville, Kentucky, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Known For | Weeknight meteorologist on WAVE News, Louisville; AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist; severe-weather coverage |
| Ethnicity | Not disclosed |
| Zodiac Sign | Not disclosed |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) |
| Weight | Not disclosed |
| Hair Color | Brown |
| Eye Color | Blue |
| Qualification | B.S. Geosciences (Broadcast Meteorology), Mississippi State University; AMS CBM certified |
| Religion | Not disclosed |
| Marital Status | Reportedly married; wife’s identity kept private |
| Children | Not publicly known |
| Family | Son of a UPS airline pilot father and a private mother; raised in Louisville |
| Hobbies | Storm chasing, photography, food exploration, social media |
| Current Work | Meteorologist, WAVE News (WAVE 3), Louisville — since February 2013 |
| Years Active | 2012–present |
| Net Worth | Estimated $1–3 million |
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Early Life & Education
Ryan Hoke was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, the son of a father who flew for UPS as an airline pilot. His exact date of birth has never been published — Hoke keeps his birthday and family details off the air — but he was reportedly born around 1990. He attended DuPont Manual High School, one of Louisville’s top public magnets, graduating in 2009.
Weather was never a casual interest. Still in high school, Ryan built and ran a website dedicated to forecasting Louisville’s weather — an early-2000s project that drew enough attention to earn him a spot with a storm-chasing tour company on the Great Plains, working as a web developer and tour guide. Chasing supercells taught him the practical side of severe weather that no classroom can: reading structure, timing intercepts and keeping people safe.
For college he chose Mississippi State University, earning a degree in geosciences with an emphasis in vocational and broadcast meteorology — one of the strongest broadcast-weather programs in the country. During his studies he received the National Weather Association’s Broadcast Meteorology Fellowship for outstanding work in broadcasting and meteorology, and he interned at WAVE itself in the summer of 2012.
Career Journey
First Jobs: WBBJ and the Road to WAVE (2012–2013)
After graduation, Hoke landed at WBBJ, the ABC/CBS affiliate in Jackson, Tennessee, as a weekend morning weatherman. The role let him cut his teeth on live television — mornings, weekends, breaking weather — before the opportunity of a lifetime opened back home. In February 2013, WAVE News in Louisville hired him, and he has never left.
WAVE News: 13+ Years in Louisville (2013–Present)
At WAVE — Louisville’s heritage station, on air since 1948 — Hoke forecasts on the evening lineup, including WAVE News at 7:00 and 7:30 p.m., and delivers the station’s personality-driven weather education segments, branded “It’s a Hokey Weather Fact!” His on-air style mixes scientific rigor with approachable humor, and colleagues credit his “energetic and polished” delivery for pulling in viewers.
Beyond the green screen, Hoke is a one-man weather-tech lab. He designs on-air weather graphics, engineers data for WAVE’s MAX Reality augmented-reality weather sets, produces weather segments, and runs social and digital marketing for the weather brand. His LinkedIn profile sums up the range: on-camera meteorologist, weather graphic designer, augmented-reality compositor and social-media content creator — a modern broadcast skill set built over 13 years and seven months at WAVE.
Severe weather is his specialty. Kentucky’s brutal winters and tornado-prone springs put Hoke on air for ice storms, flood watches and outbreak nights, and his storm-chasing background shows in calm, field-tested explanations of what a rotating supercell actually does. He has also worked with Gray Television, Raycom Media and Bahakel Communications groups, and in 2026 was still filing nightly forecasts for WAVE — including his regular Friday-evening segments and heat-safety features like “Student-athlete safety in hot weather” (August 2026).
Career Stats
- Station: WAVE News (WAVE 3), Louisville, Kentucky — meteorologist since February 2013 (13+ years)
- Certification: AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM); NWA Broadcast Meteorology Fellowship
- Signature segments: “It’s a Hokey Weather Fact!” weather-education bits; evening forecasts at 7:00/7:30 p.m.
- Technical skills: MAX Reality augmented-reality weather graphics, weather data engineering, weather producing, social-media marketing
- Prior stations: WBBJ (Jackson, Tennessee) weekend mornings; WAVE intern (summer 2012)
- Honors: Regional Emmy Award; National Weather Association Broadcast Meteorology Fellowship
Personal Life
- Marital status: Reported to be married, but Hoke has never identified his wife publicly — no wedding photos, no spouse interviews
- Children: None publicly known
- Parents: Father worked as an airline pilot for UPS; mother’s name and siblings’ details remain private
- Roots: Born and raised in Louisville and still works there — a rare local-boy success story in broadcast weather
Relationships and Dating History
Ryan Hoke is intensely private about relationships. He has never posted a partner on social media, never given a relationship interview, and never confirmed details of his private life on air. Published bios conflict — some say he is married with his wife’s identity undisclosed, others say his marital status is unconfirmed — and Hoke has never corrected either. What is known: no public dating history, no ex-partner stories, no children announced. He keeps the camera on the weather, not the weatherman.
Controversies
Ryan Hoke’s career has been remarkably controversy-free. No scandals, no social-media firestorms, no station discipline. The only notable friction has been informational: older scraped bio sites published errors about him — misspelling his name “Ryan Hawke” and “Ryan Hawk,” listing a bogus mother’s name, and claiming an Ohio hometown — corrections he has never bothered to address publicly, because he doesn’t run those sites. In an era of hot-mic incidents and viral weatherman gaffes, Hoke’s clean 13-year record at a major-market station is itself notable.
Awards & Achievements
- Emmy Award — regional Emmy for broadcast meteorology
- AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) — the American Meteorological Society’s top on-air seal
- National Weather Association Broadcast Meteorology Fellowship — awarded during his Mississippi State studies
- 13+ year tenure at WAVE News — one of Louisville’s longest-serving TV meteorologists
- High-school weather website → storm-chasing career path — self-made from age 16
Physical Statistics
- Height: 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
- Weight: Not disclosed publicly
- Hair Color: Brown
- Eye Color: Blue
- Build: Athletic — a storm chaser and photographer who is often out in the field
Quotes
“When it’s time for severe and winter weather, folks trust Ryan for life-saving information.”
Ryan Hoke, official website (ryanhoke.com)
“His experience in Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi at Gray Television, Raycom Media, Bahakel Communications and Mississippi State University puts him ahead of the competition in a fast-changing broadcast environment.”
Ryan Hoke biography, ryanhoke.com
Favorites
- Favorite City: Louisville, Kentucky — born, raised and broadcasting there
- Favorite Weather Event: Great Plains supercells — his first love from storm-chasing tour days
- Favorite Technology: MAX Reality augmented-reality weather graphics, which he designs himself
- Favorite Segment: “It’s a Hokey Weather Fact!” — his signature weather-education bits
- Hobbies: Photography, checking out new food spots, staying active on social platforms
Earnings
Net worth: estimated $1–3 million. Hoke’s income comes from his WAVE News salary plus side work in weather-graphic design, social-media marketing and storm-tour operations. Published salary estimates for his role range from roughly $67,379 to $137,655 per year, though some sources place an experienced Louisville TV meteorologist higher. He also earns from freelance weather-graphic and marketing clients.
- Estimated net worth: $1–3 million (published estimates, 2026)
- Estimated annual salary: $67,379–$137,655 (industry-range estimates; not officially disclosed)
- Side income: Weather graphic design, augmented-reality composition, social-media marketing
- Prior roles: Storm-chasing tour web developer and guide; WBBJ weekend meteorologist
Interesting Facts
- He built his first Louisville weather-forecast website while still in high school — before most teens had a laptop.
- That website earned him a job storm chasing on the Great Plains as a teenager — web developer and tour guide.
- His catchphrase segment, “It’s a Hokey Weather Fact!”, turns weather science into personality-driven TV.
- He designs his own augmented-reality weather graphics (MAX Reality) — most TV meteorologists just present them.
- He interned at WAVE in summer 2012 and was hired full-time seven months later.
- Older scraper sites still misspell his name as “Ryan Hawke” and “Ryan Hawk” — he’s never corrected them.
Did You Know Already?
- Did you know Ryan Hoke has forecast for WAVE News in Louisville since February 2013 — more than 13 years at one station?
- Did you know he was chasing tornadoes on the Great Plains as a high-schooler while running his own weather website?
- Did you know he holds the AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist seal and won a regional Emmy?
- Did you know he designs his own augmented-reality weather graphics in addition to presenting the forecast?
- Did you know he started at WAVE as an intern in 2012 and made on-air within a year?
Social Media Links
- Official website: ryanhoke.com
- LinkedIn: Ryan Hoke
- Station: WAVE News (wave3.com) — weekday forecasts
- Facebook & X: Linked from ryanhoke.com’s connect page
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: How old is Ryan Hoke?
A1: Hoke’s exact date of birth is not public. He was reportedly born around 1990 in Louisville, Kentucky, which would make him mid-30s in 2026 — he has never confirmed his birthday on air or online.
Q2: Where does Ryan Hoke work?
A2: He has been a meteorologist at WAVE News (WAVE 3) in Louisville, Kentucky since February 2013, forecasting on the evening lineup including the 7:00 and 7:30 p.m. newscasts and designing the station’s weather graphics.
Q3: Is Ryan Hoke married?
A3: He is reportedly married, but Hoke has never publicly identified his wife and keeps his entire personal life off social media. No children are publicly known.
Q4: What is Ryan Hoke’s salary and net worth?
A4: Published estimates put his salary between $67,379 and $137,655 per year and his net worth at $1–3 million, including freelance weather-graphic and marketing work. Official figures are not disclosed.
Q5: What certifications does Ryan Hoke hold?
A5: He is an AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) and received the National Weather Association’s Broadcast Meteorology Fellowship while studying at Mississippi State University. He has also won a regional Emmy.
Q6: What did Ryan Hoke do before television?
A6: In high school he ran a Louisville weather-forecast website, which led to work as a storm-chasing tour web developer and guide on the Great Plains — experience that still shapes his severe-weather coverage.
Conclusion
Ryan Hoke’s story is the broadcast-weather dream done right: a kid who built a forecast site at 16, chased storms for a living, interned at his dream station, and turned it into a 13-year run as one of Louisville’s most trusted voices on severe weather. AMS-certified, Emmy-winning and still innovating with augmented-reality graphics, he proves local TV meteorology rewards genuine obsession. If you found this biography helpful, please share it with fellow weather fans!
