Cassie Glover was hired as an intern with Cullman Daily shortly before the pandemic. Cassie has interviewed countless people, but there was that one interview she always dreamed of, JAMES SPANN. Cassie is a weather enthusiast who respects the job of Spann.
Below you can read all about Cassie and James’ interview.
“I was honored to interview our well-known meteorologist, James Spann. To say I was thrilled would be an understatement. James gave me a warm welcome during our visit down at the station, and that meant a lot to me for being able to be there and ask him some questions,” said Cassie Glover.
The question I began the interview with was asking James how difficult the profession is, and he responded with, days like today are easy and quiet with a few showers in certain locations. He stated that the hardest days occur from weather events impacting people, such as snowstorms, ice storms, flooding, hurricanes, and tornadoes, which he added that their first responsibility is to protect human lives. James has also clarified that one would have to be careful with their time and be sure you have enough energy saved up in order to do a good job when the weather event happens.
I asked James what his favorite thing about the weather is, and he replied, you learn something every day, and why there is a shower on US-43 above the Forkland city hall, but there’s no shower in Greensboro and getting to help people when the weather is threatening.
When he is not covering weather forecasts, James likes to play tennis on Sunday night. In addition, he leads children’s worship at his church in Mount Laurel. The children range between the ages of 5 and 12. Additionally, James volunteered at Grandview Medical Center, stating that he had been Chairman of the Board at the hospital for 17 years.
The knowledge of James choosing meteorology as his career didn’t occur until he was 20. He recalled when he was told that he should be a funeral director but instead thought about becoming an electrical engineer. He declared his enjoyment of tearing up radio equipment, rebuilding them, and doing weather as a hobby. When he was in college, he has learned that one could do weather as a career, resulting in him changing majors to meteorology at Mississippi State. Before that, he was offered to do weather at a tv station during his time as an engineering major.
James is also known to forecast the weather at Bryant Denny Stadium, and he does chat with Coach Nick Saban on the phone regularly, as the weather is vital to a college football coach. He has done the weather for the football program for years and years, and whether rain is in the forecast or if there’s a possibility of a lightning delay that could threaten games or practice, they talk about it often. When James appears on the big screens during games, he states that it is for Crimson Tide marketing, and he discusses the weather with the coaches on the phone.
James had many bizarre things happen to him while doing the weather, such as when he was doing a live show at a festival, he had a child throw up on his shoes.
James’s favorite author is Rick Bragg, praising his work as a writer and stated some similarities of his books.
If James had not become a meteorologist, he would’ve been a 3rd-grade science teacher. He discussed his likeness for their understanding of sarcasm, how funny they are, and how sweet they are. James added that 3rd graders don’t stink.
When it comes to trolls, James says he doesn’t have time to look at them during severe weather but looks through them later on. He states that he was taught to stand up to bullies, and other times it’s better to have grace than sass.
You know the popular phrase, “respect the polygon?” Well, James explains its meaning, and the polygon means you are, in his words, in big trouble if your area is inside the polygon and his suspenders are visible. He recalls when his house took a direct hit from the EF3 tornado, and his wife saw the polygon and ran for cover, thankfully unharmed.
So, if you are in the red polygon, please be in a safe shelter and stay there until the threat has passed. As James Spann always says, “respect the polygon!”
