Environment & Science

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, state parks across Pennsylvania were inundated with visitors.

State officials late last month announced the theme for this year’s annual tick-themed art contest, “Protect. Check. Remove.” Last year, there were no winners in the Lehigh Valley.

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.

Punxsutawney Phil predicted early spring, but the experts say those declaring winter over are in for a rude awakening, with the risk for colder weather in the second half of February increasing.

More than $2 million was allocated to nine organizations across Pennsylvania to fund various research efforts, all linked to the state’s $132.5 billion agriculture industry.

Gus the bison is considered to be "Hellertown’s mascot," but to owner Nanette Keck, he’s also a cherished pet.

January brought above-average snowfall to the Lehigh Valley, but long-range outlooks have flipped the script in a big way. Will February bring the big storms snow lovers are longing for?

Twenty-seven air quality monitors have so far been placed for Lehigh Valley Breathes, a Valley-wide, year-long effort to monitor air quality amid emissions from trucking and warehousing.

The four Galilean moons — Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto — that Galileo saw and named were discovered as he was looking through the very first telescope.

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.

Days after ferocious storms barreled through the region, ripping down trees and power lines, the Lehigh Valley could be at risk of additional rounds of severe weather this weekend.

Thousands of customers are still left without power following a series of storms that hit the Lehigh Valley. High winds yielded downed wires and tree limbs across homes and roadways throughout the area.

Downed trees and power outages were the result of a powerful storm that pounded the Lehigh Valley on Wednesday night.

In an update Thursday morning, PPL said crews saw significant damage from downed trees and limbs that caused more than 1,000 individual damage locations. Since the storm, it has restored power for more than 85,000 customers.

A severe thunderstorm brought wind gusts approaching 60 mph, heavy rain and hail to Lehigh and Northampton counties early Wednesday night. Utility companies reported thousands in the dark.

Another day of sweltering temperatures will transition to a night of severe weather across the region, and concern has shifted to timing on when storms are expected to fire.

Near unrelenting heat has become a reality in the Lehigh Valley to kick off summer, putting the area at risk for rapid onset drought — a term that’s part of a new outlook issued by the Climate Prediction Center.

Another surge of heat and humidity is on the way for the Lehigh Valley, with the possibility that severe storms could rattle the region on Wednesday afternoon and evening.

Venus, the planet: Morning star, evening star, or just being itself?

The severe thunderstorm watch comes amid a heat wave that looks to break Monday as a cooler air mass mercifully moves into the region Sunday night.

Excessive heat warnings have been posted in parts of the northeastern U.S. with heat indices of 105 to 110 degrees. Forecasters issued an excessive heat warning for southeastern Pennsylvania. As for Saturday, we're expected to hit a high of 96 in the Lehigh Valley.

One trick is to be sure to water plants at the base — not the leaves — to ensure the roots absorb the water. "Everybody waters the plant, but you need to water the soil," says one nursery manager.