Environment & Science

The James Webb Space Telescope, launched on Christmas 2021, orbits the Sun about a million miles outside Earth’s orbit. It is the most powerful, largest, and most complex telescope ever made.

This New Year’s Day, tens of thousands of people across the country, including dozens in the Valley, will take a guided hike through a state park to mark the beginning of 2024.

December 2023 is now the wettest December on record in the Lehigh Valley, with a total of 8.17 inches of rainfall recorded as of 11:59 p.m. Wednesday. The high water mark was set during a day of record rain for Dec. 27.

The ski slopes just southeast of Lehigh County announced it would shut down at 3:00 p.m. Tuesday, awaiting colder weather to make snow

With a forecast projecting 1 to 1.5 inches of rain possible this week, the Lehigh Valley will move closer to its wettest December ever.

Lawmakers in Harrisburg passed nearly three dozen laws last week in a final burst of action as they held their last voting session of the year.

Look for the full moon on Wednesday, Dec. 27

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.

On Dec. 21 at approximately 10:27 p.m. EST, we’ll begin the winter solstice north of the equator. Will the change of season finally bring snow?

It might seem counterintuitive, but harvesting holiday trees year after year is better for the environment than using an artificial one, experts said, especially amid the proliferation of plastic piling up in landfills.

A chemical spill of a latex product late Friday in Bristol Township released contaminants into a Delaware River tributary, according to OEM officials.

The Lehigh Valley Zoo has three new African penguins, bringing its total colony to 14. As part of a species survival plan, zoo officials hope the birds will pair off a reproduce to bolster the endangered species.

Pennsylvania will again operate a water assistance program for low-income households behind in their water or wastewater bills, state officials announced last week.

With the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and federal Environmental Protection Agency at odds over the acceptable levels of 'forever chemicals' in public drinking water, it’s become an expensive and frustrating process for at least one Lehigh Valley municipality.

Spring arrives at 5:24 p.m. Monday and it will certainly feel like it for the first few days of the week, meteorologists say, with widespread sunshine and blue skies on tap.

A wind advisory is in effect until midnight for areas mainly near and south of the Interstate 78 corridor, where the weather service expects gusts of 40 to 50 mph by Tuesday afternoon, with potential for a few localized higher gusts.

On the anniversary of the Blizzard of '93, forecasters say a complex coastal storm will develop on Monday, shifting from the Mid-Atlantic north into New England and dropping heavy snow just north of the Lehigh Valley.

The mother bear and her cubs, nestled cozily in their den, were discovered by the homeowner towards the end of December or beginning of January.

Despite record revenues locally and across the country for golf, local municipal courses are facing heightened supply costs.

The Lehigh Valley Science & Engineering Research Fair invited students grades six through 12 from across the Lehigh Valley to present their research projects to a panel of judges.

A storm system that will gain steam off the coast and potentially turn into a nor'easter could affect the Lehigh Valley region's weather Monday into Tuesday. At least one forecaster speculates it might be our last chance for a measurable snowfall, which has been in short supply this winter.

Early mornings will again be dark so use caution driving in the early morning for the next several weeks.