Environment & Science

More than 2,600 acres on 35 farms in 18 counties across the commonwealth were preserved. Here are the Lehigh Valley farms now safe from development.

The yet-to-be-named calf was born Aug. 4 and is the tenth oryx calf born at the zoo since 2014.

As of Aug. 22, more than 300 raptors were counted during the Berks County sanctuary's annual autumn count. The count runs through Dec. 15.

Beginning Wednesday night, a super blue moon will rise and will be the third-largest moon to date this year, leaving one more supermoon in 2023.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission's Elk Cam gives viewers a close-up look at elk as their activity is about to ramp up with the bugling season. It features a rotating, zooming camera and natural sound.

Three studies show smoke from Canadian wildfires led to a spike in people with asthma visiting emergency rooms in the United States. One study collected data from about 4,000 U.S. hospitals.

The Weather Prediction Center said one inch per hour rainfall rates are possible, as well as “precipitation totals on the order of 1 to 2 plus inches through the period.”

The middle of August is prime time for ragweed pollen production, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection — and that’s exactly what the numbers are showing in the Lehigh Valley.

It is now certain, forecasters say, that the Lehigh Valley will not see a 90-degree day in the month of August. Not with a pool of Canadian air set to descend on the region.

With a roadmap toward spooky season, the Lehigh Valley’s weather looks to match the fall decor now blanketing stores across the region. Cooler temperatures are on the way.

Listings will include risks for flood, wildfire, wind, heat and air quality, as well as interactive maps and insurance requirements.

Highs in the 30s and lows mainly in the 20s are forecast for the weekend and well into next week, which could be jarring on the heels of one our warmest Novembers on record.

With no quick cure for the fast-moving, but slow-to-kill disease, experts said American beech trees could be functionally extinct throughout the state within 10 to 15 years.

Guidance “continues to trend towards a warmer solution for Thursday’s storm,” the National Weather Service said, meaning it's going to be a wet, not white, Thanksgiving.

Said Edward Boscola, Bethlehem water and sewer resources director: “It’s important for everybody to know that the lead levels in the city’s drinking water system are very low."

May, an immature female broad-winged hawk, migrated through Hurricane Milton in Florida last month. The hurricane made landfall Oct. 9 near Siesta Key, Fla., as a devastating Category 3 storm.

Forecasters have turned their attention to the end of next week, saying most model guidance indicates a storm system developing and affecting the East Coast — including the mid-Atlantic —around Thanksgiving Day and into Black Friday.

Spica is the brightest star in the constellation Virgo. At about 5:35 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 27, grab your binoculars and watch it disappear.

The drought is far from over, but enough precipitation has fallen to boost the confidence of state officials when it comes to outdoor fires.

After a steady – but not soaking – overnight rain, the area remains on track to break a pair of records that have stood the test of time. But more precipitation is on the way, including snow.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning in effect from Thursday afternoon through Friday afternoon for Carbon and Monroe counties in an "elevation-dependent system."

The precautionary measure across Pennsylvania comes at no cost to farmers. While the virus hasn't been reported in commonwealth cattle, other states have seen a marked uptick in cases.