Jim Howard

“There’s gonna be weather, whether or not.”

These were the words Jim Howard’s grandfather would tell him every time Jim would start talking about approaching snow. Growing up in Poughkeepsie, New York allowed Jim many opportunities to bug his family about the snow. Now, living in North Carolina allows him to bug them about hurricanes as well!

Jim’s road to Eastern Carolina went from a childhood in upstate New York to his adolescence in South Florida. Looking out the airplane window his first time flying into West Palm Beach, Jim turned to his mom and said “look, there’s snow on the ground!” Jim says she gave him a funny smile. The smile turned into a frown when they stepped off the plane and Jim realized that the “snow” was sand, and the air felt like a furnace! This is just one of many experiences that fueled Jim’s desire to learn more about the earth’s atmosphere.

Jim’s passion for weather took him to Florida State University, where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Meteorology. Within a week, he secured his first job, as the morning meteorologist for a Panama City, Florida television station. Although he was very excited about his first job, he quickly discovered one big problem. He would have to readjust his alarm clock from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Strong coffee and cold showers became a regular part of his morning!

Jim says he was a fully transformed “morning person” when offered the opportunity to work as the meteorologist on WITN-7 News at Sunrise in 2001. With family in both New York and Florida, Eastern Carolina has proved to be the perfect location for Jim. He says being a part of WITN-7 News at Sunrise has been rewarding beyond his expectations. The people of Eastern Carolina are as kind and generous as any he’s ever met, and the variety of weather keeps him on his toes! From snow and hurricanes to severe thunderstorms and flooding threats, Jim says there’s one thing that can be definitely said about our climate:

“There’s gonna be weather, whether or not!”