Environment & Science

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.

A winter storm is targeting the region this weekend, and forecasters say there's a more potent system right behind it that could bring damaging winds, heavy rain and flooding.

Bear Creek Mountain Resort in Macungie will celebrate the official opening of its ski season on Sunday at 9 a.m.

PPL Electric Utilities offers tips to customers designed to keep them safe and warm during the winter season.

Five farms in Lehigh and Northampton counties were the latest to be included in the commonwealth’s Farmland Preservation Program. The program aims to ward off development and protect open spaces.

A coastal storm is on track to impact the region this weekend, but forecasters say the latest guidance has reduced snowfall totals and impacts across the region.

The past two Lehigh Valley winters haven't produced much in the way of snow. With the potential for significant snowfall this weekend, local business operators are gearing up — at last.

Officials behind the longest running raptor migration count in the world have posted the results of the 2023 season. Here's how many birds of prey were spotted.

The proposal under consideration in Harrisburg would up Pennsylvania’s renewable energy goals from 8% now to 30% by 2030.

January is National Radon Action Month, and officials from the American Lung Association are offering a limited supply of free radon test kits for commonwealth residents, including those in the the Lehigh Valley.

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.

How much snow can we expect Friday? Forecasters say the complex weather system taking aim at the region has resulted in "a difficult and challenging forecast" for the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas.