ABC 33/40 and Townsquare Media Tuscaloosa's iconic chief meteorologist James Spann had to step away early from his wall-to-wall weather coverage of severe weather Thursday afternoon after he received news that his own home had been hit by a tornado.

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Spann pulled himself away from hours-long coverage of a supercell storm that crossed the entire state of Alabama Thursday to speak with his wife. Thankfully, she was OK after taking cover in a nearby tornado shelter.

Spann's home in Shelby County, though, did not fare as well.

"The reason I had to step out, we had major damage at my house," Spann said as soon as he returned on air. "I had to be sure -- My wife is OK, but the tornado came right through there and it's not good, it's bad. It's bad."

In an update late Thursday night, Spann thanked his viewers and fans for their concerns, thoughts and prayers and said his home would not have to be rebuilt in the aftermath of the storm.

Although he said his house sustained major damage, Spann quickly went back to work tracking the storms coming through West Alabama.

Townsquare Media Tuscaloosa's Operation Storm Watch is brought to you by Safe-T Shelter. Visit their website here to see their selection of residential and commercial safe rooms and storm shelters. To contact a Safe-T Shelter representative, click here to visit their Facebook page.

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