In 1979, Jim was tapped to do the weekend weather on WTKR Channel 3.  His bosses reasoned that if Jim was such an accomplished amateur astronomer with a background in science, he would be perfect as a weathercaster.  He says, "In those days nobody was a meteorologist because the technology just didn't exist at the station level, we relied on The Weather Service to help with our forecasts.”   In 1991, he became a fill-in weathercaster for WAVY-TV 10 in Norfolk.   "Jim says it was around that time that I developed a real interest in meteorology."  He decided to return to school in 1992 to study oceanography and weather to become a meteorologist. 

In 1996, Jim was awarded both the American Meteorological Society and National Weather Association's Seal of Approval.   WAVY-TV took notice of Jim's accomplishments and made him a full-time meteorologist.  At WAVY Jim covered many of the east coast's most famous hurricanes.  In the wake of Hurricane "Isabel" NBC's Brian Williams used part of Jim’s weathercast in his story about the damage in Virginia Beach for The NBC Nightly News.  Jim is an avid amateur astronomer; he has decided to bring his Celestron 14 inch telescope from Virginia Beach to take advantage of Kentucky’s crystal clear skies.