Worried About the Weather for Your Cruise? So Is James Van Fleet

How did you become interested in meteorology?

I grew up in Tulsa, Okla., where the weather can literally kill you. When we have tornado days, the state shuts down. Everyone pays attention. It’s in my DNA. I started in some radio stations, then I worked behind the scenes in television. I did some storm chasing and got on television, working for Fox, ABC and CBS affiliates. A recruiter reached out about this job.

Could you walk me through your typical day?

I’m up in the middle of the night tracking Australia and Asia. In the early morning, I’m tracking Europe, and during normal workday hours I’m looking at the Caribbean. It never stops. It’s the complete opposite of a nine-to-five job. I get to work with people on the other side of the globe.

How does data inform your work? Is this kind of forecasting different from television forecasting?

You have to have current weather data to make a forecast. You got to know what’s happening right now. For example, what’s happening in Europe now and what will be happening in Europe later?

This is the most challenging forecasting I’ve ever done. It’s trickier than just ‘is it going to be windy or is it going to rain?’ The stakes are quite high, so I never step away from the data for too long. I need to know what’s been going on in different places at different times. Several times a day at hours that make no sense to anybody, I’m looking at data. I’m always asking myself: What did the weather data say a day or two days ago?

Are there any unique weather considerations on the new island, CocoCay?

There’s a big waterslide and because of its height, we have to be careful about tracking lightning. There’s also a big balloon ride that takes people up to 450 feet and we have to really think about the wind there.