Welcome to the 12th Annual Rocket City Weather Fest

A FREE Virtual Public Event - Friday, March 19, 2021 through Sunday, March 21, 2021

Hosted by the UAH Student Chapter of the American Meteorological Society and National Weather Association

A FREE three-day event for all ages in the northern Alabama region where you can learn about the weather, engage with professional meteorologists, and learn how you can prepare for weather hazards.

James Spann, Chief Meteorologist at ABC 33/40, Birmingham

James has served as the Chief Meteorologist for ABC 33/40 for 24 years, and can be seen weeknights at 4, 5, 6, and 10 o'clock. In all, James has been a television weather anchor for 43 years. He is the winner of the "Award for Broadcast Meteorology" from the AMS, and “Broadcaster of the Year” from the NWA.

James has earned multiple Emmy awards over the years. He was elected to the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Silver Circle, representing outstanding achievement spanning at least 25 years in the broadcast industry with a proven record of mentoring and community involvement. 

James holds AMS CBM (Certified Broadcast Meteorologist) number 33, and after starting his college career as an electrical engineering major at the University of Alabama, he finished in the broadcast meteorology program at Mississippi State University. The University of West Alabama conferred an honorary doctor of laws degree to James in 2013.

He has been inducted into the Theta Tau professional engineering fraternity Alumni Hall of Fame, and the University of Alabama School of Communication Hall of Fame.

He is the Chairman of the Board of Grandview Medical Center in Birmingham. James and his wife Karen have been married for 40 years, and they have two sons.

Bob Baron, President and CEO at Baron Services

Robert O. Baron was an on-air meteorologist for over twenty years. A proud graduate of the University of Tennessee, he is a long-standing member of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) and was name an AMS Fellow in 2010.  

As Founder of Baron Services, Mr. Baron initially established a cooperative arrangement through NASA's technology utilization program to develop commercial applications incorporating lightning data. Following the tragic Huntsville tornado of November 1989, he refocused his company’s efforts on developing new site-specific weather technologies designed for saving lives.  In 2012 the company donated a highly site specific weather alerting system with 2-way communication for Emergency Managers to the State of Alabama (Alabama SAF-T-Net).  The System included weather monitoring software and data for all of the Alabama EMA Directors, plus the State EOC and the Poarch Creek Indians. The company supplies critical weather data to 10’s of thousands of planes, boats and automobiles nationwide through SiriusXM.  Baron’s patented road weather technology and threat analysis is distributed through SiriusXM to automobiles across the US. Baron is the number one manufacturer of Doppler Weather radar in the U.S. and recently completed a next generation upgrade for all 171 National Weather Service radar. 

Known for his sound leadership and entrepreneurial spirit, Mr. Baron has been recognized numerous times for exemplary business practices. In 2018 Baron established The Baron Critical Weather Institute to further metrological research and in 2020 an inductee for the Alabama Business Hall of Fame. He was recognized as the 1996 Small Business Executive of the Year by the Huntsville and Madison County Chamber of Commerce, and in 1998 Baron Services received the Mass Mutual Blue Chip award for small businesses. In 2005, Mr. Baron was recognized as a candidate for Inc. Magazine’s Entrepreneur of the Year, and in 2006 the Alabama House of Representatives awarded him a commendation based on his company’s contributions to the safety and well-being of the general public.

Todd Barron, Meteorologist-in-Charge, 

National Weather Service Huntsville

Todd Barron is the Meteorologist-in-Charge (MIC) at the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Huntsville, AL. The MIC is the top position held at a forecast office and ensures their forecast office is running efficiently. Mr. Barron also handles scheduling and personnel management and can step in as a forecaster, if needed.

Weather Briefings

Weather Preparedness and Safety Videos

Public and Private Sector Videos

University of Alabama in Huntsville