Environment & Science

Lafayette on May 26 submitted plans to replant College Hill after it was deforested for a $1.2 million walkway project. Here's the plan.

The Lehigh Valley is under a code red air quality alert in effect until midnight due to Canadian wildfires. Here are the latest updates on the smoke.

The air quality in Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton is so bad, it’s the equivalent of smoking more than 14 cigarettes.

Smoke from wildfires in Canada can be seen and smelled in much of the northeast, including the Lehigh Valley. Local pulmonologists are weighing in with what to do to avoid too much exposure.

The Lehigh Valley is under a code red air quality alert in effect until midnight.

The National Weather Service says thick smoke associated with wildfires in Canada is moving into parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Allentown Fire Department is warning against any outdoor fires due to dry conditions and elevated winds as a red flag warning continues for the region.

Any fires that develop may quickly get out of control and become difficult to contain, the National Weather Service said in a red flag warning in effect for the area until 8 p.m.

A brush fire closed Route 33 Southbound in Wind Gap early Monday afternoon, backing up traffic for miles, as crews battled a series of blazes in Northampton and Monroe counties, officials said.

The college resubmitted plans May 26, two weeks after Easton officials sent a letter notifying officials that the walkway project had deforested a portion of a slope without city approval.

“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.

Despite the drought, Christmas tree farms in the Lehigh Valley were able to make it through a pretty solid season. Check out how the past few weeks panned out for the owners, what types of tree were most popular, and how to keep them alive longer.

Forecast guidance continues to indicate precipitation can be expected over the region Friday evening, which could leave a blanket of white in some areas as we await the winter solstice.