Environment & Science

The Lehigh Valley is parched, again. Here's what the region needs to get out of the drought that has led to burn bans and voluntary water conservation measures.

The Blue Mountain fire, also called the Gap Fire, erupted Saturday in Lehigh Township. It's now 100% contained, officials said.

The red flag warning is in effect from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday in both Lehigh and Northampton counties. It's the second red flag warning issued so far this month.

The fire erupted Saturday in Lehigh Township. Over the following days, the fire grew from 150 acres to almost 600 near the border of Northampton and Carbon counties.

Daniel Klem Jr., director of the Acopian Center for Ornithology at the college, on Saturday was presented with the Walt Pomeroy Conservation Award. His most recent study found 3.5 million birds dying every day in a 365-day period.

Easton Outdoor Company hosted the launch of the Elevate program, which aims to help outdoor activity-oriented businesses connect and thrive, on Monday, Oct. 29.

Firefighters battling a blaze on Blue Mountain expressed gratitude to the community for an abundance of donations — so many that they have advised people to hold onto their contributions as they have reached capacity for storage.

Celebrating a year of space facts and fun sightings to look for.

State environmental officials are calling on residents to nominate their favorite waterway to be 2025 River of the Year. The effort aims to elevate public awareness of specific rivers and recognize important conservation needs and achievements.

Lehigh and Northampton counties are in a drought watch due to persistently dry weather. The Lehigh County Authority is asking residents to start conserving.

Musikfest attracts tens of thousands of people to the city each day during its 10-day run. Officials said they’re continuously working to lessen the event’s impact on the environment.

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

Following morning sunshine, thunderstorms are in the forecast. But will the Lehigh Valley see severe weather on Saturday?

Record-warm ocean temperatures are likely to fuel the peak of hurricane season, scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday.

For those who lost power in their homes due to the tornado that raced through Allentown on Monday, the first thought would be to call PPL. Think again.

It’s the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower and WLVR’s Brad Klein speaks with a local amateur astronomer about how best to see meteors in the night sky.

An Allentown homeowner caught on video the moment an EF-1 tornado touched down in the city’s Midway Manor neighborhood on Monday night.

As cleanup continues from Monday’s severe weather, the Lehigh Valley will see a period of rain Thursday that could bring localized flooding to some areas.

The National Weather Service determined damages during a severe thunderstorm Monday night were from straight-line winds as high as 100 mph, but no tornadoes touched down there.

The National Weather Service rated the tornado as an EF-1 — the second-weakest on the scale. It hit the Midway Manor neighborhood of Allentown and crossed into Bethlehem briefly, according to a weather service statement.

A National Weather Service survey team confirmed a tornado touched down in Allentown’s Midway Manor neighborhood Monday night on the east side, but the twister was unwarned.

Starting at 9 a.m., officials from Princeton Hydro, a New Jersey-based engineering consultant, will treat the lake’s shoreline via airboat to tamp down invasive Phragmites, a genus of four species of large perennial reed grasses.