Environment & Science

Despite a warm surge this week, forecasters say it’s going to feel more like winter in the Lehigh Valley as we head towards the official first day of spring.

It’s expected to be a busy day for power crews in the Lehigh Valley with a wind advisory in place until 8 p.m., northwest winds of 20 to 30 mph and gusts up to 55 mph. Met-Ed and PPL Electric Utilities were reporting scattered outages.

The 120-acre park in Northampton County boasts more than 100 species of trees and shrubs from around the world. "What's unique is it's in a public park setting. It's run by county park staff, not a nonprofit or not a for-profit entity,” the superintendent said.

The clocks went forward, but the weather turned back a season on Sunday as blinding snow squalls pushed through the Lehigh Valley. A wind advisory remains in effect Monday.

Brad Klein reviews the week’s astronomical highlights with Bethlehem’s "Backyard Astronomy Guy," Marty McGuire.

Dozens of students from across Pennsylvania will descend on Saucon Valley Middle School’s gymnasium for FIRST Tech Challenge’s robotics state championship, including two teams from the Lehigh Valley.

Pennsylvania’s maple sugaring season is well underway. At the Monroe County Conservation District’s Singing Hemlock Sugar Shack, educators guided visitors through the history of maple syrup production.

A flood watch remains in effect from 1 p.m. Saturday through Sunday evening for a large swath of the region, including Lehigh and Northampton counties.

Forecasters say a weekend storm will not only bring active weather, windy conditions Sunday and Monday are likely to bring isolated instances of tree damage and power outages to the Lehigh Valley.

Farmers say that the final offer for a property doesn’t account for fertile soil or product reliability. Plus, it doesn't accurately reflect the financial burden of moving to a new place.

More than 300 Met-Ed customers were impacted by damage to three poles when a tree fell into lines near South Delaware Drive in Easton, which reportedly closed the road as well.

A look back to the weather headlines that dominated 2024, and what's to come for the Lehigh Valley. Could a cold and snowy January be on tap?

Depending on cloud cover, the Lehigh Valley could see a lunar eclipse between midnight on March 13 through early morning March 14. A solar eclipse could peak just after midnight on March 29.

“It doesn’t matter what amount it is, it’s still treacherous on area roadways,” EPAWA meteorologist Bobby Martrich said in his latest video update.

Temperatures will drop below freezing across the area late Friday night and early Saturday, likely setting the stage for a period of freezing rain, according to the National Weather Service.

Administered by Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers, or POWR, with funding from the DCNR, officials said the effort aims to elevate public awareness of specific rivers and recognize important conservation needs and achievements.

With temperatures in the 20s overnight, snow is expected for the southern Poconos, northern New Jersey and the Lehigh Valley, though accumulations should generally be less than one inch.

It will get warmer and closer to normal as the week progresses, but for now, the National Weather Service recommends folks bundle up as an arctic air mass from Canada and the Great Lakes moves in.

The longest running raptor migration count in the world wrapped up for the 2024 season. Staff and volunteers spent more than 1,000 hours recording species as part of Hawk Mountain's conservation efforts.

It is humanity's first-ever mission into the part of the sun’s upper atmosphere known as the corona.

A complex storm system forecasters said could overperform did that and more in the Lehigh Valley on Friday night, as snow totals doubled initial forecasts in some areas.

Join Megan Frank at 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. every Friday for Insights with LehighValleyNews.com on WLVR. This week, Brittany Sweeney takes her place with environment and science reporter Molly Bilinski and arts and culture reporter Micaela Hood.