Russell James

Russell James joined WITN in August 2022 as a Meteorologist from Wilmington, NC.

Russell’s first encounter in meteorology, occurred when he was only 6. Hurricane Charley in 2004, devastated much of southwest Florida and Russell was on vacation with family in Orlando. The strong winds and heavy rain from the storm, intrigued him to develop an interest in the field. One event that changed his life and made him pursue meteorology as a career was surviving an F3 tornado in 2006. The sheer destruction and power of the tornado inspired Russell to want to inform people about the weather and help to save lives.

Determine to make his goal a reality, Russell attended East Carolina University in Greenville from 2016 – 2019 and attained B.S. degree in Applied Atmospheric Science. He later returned to ECU from 2020 – 2022 to earn M.S. degree in Geography with a concentration in Tropical Meteorology and Atmospheric Circulations. During his time at ECU, Russell learned to develop weather briefings and articulate forecasts to several students outside of his major. In 2018 as Hurricane Florence threatened Eastern NC, Russell worked with the president of the ECU AMS Club to help fellow classmates host forecast forums and volunteer efforts in the community.

On his spare time, Russell enjoys reading books and spending time with friends. Russell's interest in broadcasting extends beyond weather. He also has a library of radio airchecks and jingle packages he collected from various radio stations around the country. He also has a dog named Coco who gives him joy and a reason to stand on his toes. He also loves to cook everything from casseroles and cake to savory dishes. He is also a major fan of ice cream.

Russell is excited to explore an additional experience of what Eastern NC can offer and the weather.