James Spann

About

James Max Spann Jr. (born June 6, 1956) is an American broadcast meteorologist and podcast host based in Birmingham, Alabama. He is the founder of The Alabama Weather Network, which provides statewide live weather coverage and regularly posts video weather updates during the early morning and afternoon, Monday through Friday. Spann also serves as the chief meteorologist for ABC 33/40 (WBMA-LD), the ABC-affiliated television station in Birmingham. Spann has worked in the field since 1978. He also hosts the podcast WeatherBrains.

Spann was born on June 6, 1956, in Huntsville, Alabama, to Max and Carolyn Spann (1932–2018). As a child, he and his family moved to Greenville in Butler County. His mother worked as a secretary at Greenville High School, while his father sold lumber.
When Spann was seven his father left the family, leaving Carolyn to raise him. After Spann finished the fourth grade, he and his mother moved to Tuscaloosa, so that his mother could complete her education at the University of Alabama and become a schoolteacher.
He graduated from Tuscaloosa High School in 1974 and enrolled at the University of Alabama to study electrical engineering…