Krystal Ortiz
Krystal Ortiz joined FOX 10 News in July 2022 as a meteorologist on the FOX 10 Weather Experts. An Arizona native, Krystal is thrilled to forecast for her hometown and rediscover her favorite parts of living in the Southwest—all while being close to family.
Before joining FOX 10, Krystal was a meteorologist at the NBC affiliate in Philadelphia, PA for six years. During her time in the Mid-Atlantic, she covered historic flooding produced by the remnants of Hurricane Ida, devastating Nor’easter snowstorms that left parts of the Delaware Valley without power for days, and tornado outbreaks that spanned from Pennsylvania and Delaware to New Jersey. Krystal also helped CNBC with coverage of Hurricane Dorian in 2019. Krystal was a graphics producer at the station, launching graphics redesigns and augmented reality on-air, which won an Edward R. Murrow award. She also acted as a shelter and rescue partner at the station, hosting a pet-of-the-week segment each weekend.
Krystal’s career began in El Paso, Texas where she was the morning and midday meteorologist for KVIA. For four years, Krystal covered monsoon storms, periods of intense drought, and winter weather over the mountains of New Mexico. One of her favorite off-air projects in El Paso was the "Weather Academy", a program that brought her to schools across the region to teach students about weather with experiments and presentations.
Krystal attended Arizona State University, where she received dual degrees in Geography with a focus on Meteorology and Climatology, as well as Broadcast Journalism. Before her time at ASU, Krystal attended Highland High School in Gilbert. She grew up in the Valley and much of her family is still in the area.
When Krystal isn’t tracking storms, she’s spending time with her husband and their dog, Freckles (a shelter dog from El Paso!). They love to explore new restaurants and breweries, and look forward to hiking northern Arizona—Sedona is one of Krystal’s favorite spots. Krystal is also looking forward to spending more holidays, special occasions, and Cardinals football games with her family.
Have a weather question? Tweet @KrystalOrtizWx or find her on Facebook.
The latest from Krystal Ortiz
Arizona weather forecast: Temps start to heat back up
Temperatures are set to get closer and closer to the century mark in the days ahead.
SRP officials conduct snowpack survey after winter storm
A winter storm that recently moved through Arizona has provided some much-needed snow to parts of the Arizona high country, and officials with SRP are measuring snowpacks in order to get a clearer picture of the snowpack level in some areas that can impact Phoenix's water supply.
'Strong' El Niño: Could this be the start of a wet winter in Arizona?
Winter officially starts in less than a month and we’ve got snow in the forecast this week. With an El Niño pattern, could this be the start of a wet winter? We’re officially under what is described as a “strong" El Niño.
From the farm to your table: Taking a look at Arizona sweet corn
There are nearly 19,000 farms across Arizona, and due to elevation differences across the state, there's almost always something that's in season. We take a look at sweet corn that is being grown at Mortimer Farms.
Explaining Phoenix's urban heat island phenomenon
With all these records, one thing is clear: temperatures around downtown Phoenix tend to be a few degrees hotter than surrounding parts of the Valley. But why? It involves the urban heat island phenomenon.
Arizona Monsoon 2023: What to expect this summer
When extreme conditions strike, make sure you know what to do. Boost your monsoon IQ: get a plan, get prepared, and know the steps to take in any condition and every situation. Get monsoon smart and stay safe.
A year of Arizona's wet weather made a big dent in drought conditions – but how much?
You might've guessed it. With a wet monsoon and a snowy, cold winter, Arizona's short-term drought from last summer has improved drastically. But are we out of the woods? FOX 10 Meteorologist Krystal Ortiz answers the questions you might have.
Why does the Phoenix Metro area have some of the worst air quality year-round?
We're consistently under Ozone warnings and air quality warnings, the American Lung Assoc. gives us an F for air quality, and we also have the 5th worst ozone in the U.S. FOX 10’s Krystal Ortiz looks into why the Phoenix metro area has some of the worst air quality year-round.
Monsoon 2022: Parts of Arizona seeing more rain this season, according to meteorologist
Aug. 10 marks the halfway point of a monsoon season, and 2022's monsoon season brought a mixed bag of news for Arizona, so far.