Environment & Science

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.

Advocates and officials across Pennsylvania have signaled their support the new standards for fine particle pollution, also called soot or PM 2.5. However, federal officials don’t anticipate communities will meet the standard for almost a decade.

Norfolk Southern crews remained at the derailment site along the Lehigh River in Lower Saucon Township. The company released no details on what the trains were hauling or where they were going.

More than 200 years after the sanctuary was built, church leaders are working to make its heating and cooling more sustainable. While work is already underway, the oldest Moravian Church in North America still needs funding.

Northampton County Park and Recreation Division will host the Greenways Jamboree Celebration, marking their 50th anniversary, in tandem with the 20th anniversary of the Lehigh Valley Greenways Conservation Landscape Partnership and the 28th Annual Lehigh River Sojourn.

Three Lehigh Valley researchers are arguing bird-strike fatalities are much higher than we might think. They recently published a peer-reviewed study showing bird deaths from window strikes are nearly double previous estimates, and likely higher.

The colleges have formed a partnership to build and bring online a solar facility in western Kentucky. When completed, the facility will offset electricity usage at the institutions, effectively reducing greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation to zero.

The main threat will come later Monday and Monday night with a cold front that creates the possibility of strong winds and hail – even a tornado, said meteorologist Bobby Martrich of EPAWA Weather Consulting.

Essentially a scholastic scrimmage for environmental science, the annual Envirothon combines classroom learning and outdoor activities to engage students in the environment. The state competition was held Wednesday at Camp Mt. Luther in Mifflinburg.

As residents and tourists explore the region’s many parks, bike trails and scenic overlooks — May is recognized as National Lyme Disease Awareness Month — health and environmental officials are cautioning visitors to check for ticks after their outdoor adventures.

A first-quarter log documents over 160 complaints from addresses in Lower Saucon, Hellertown, Freemansburg, Bethlehem Township and the outskirts of Easton. Landfill operators say they're responding.

A turbulent morning of storms brought significant damage to parts of the Lehigh Valley on Thursday, with estimated wind speeds of 60 to 70 mph, meteorologists confirmed.

The thunderstorm Thursday morning packed heavy wind gusts, rain and hail in some spots. It ended almost as suddenly as it began. PPL reported 22,000 without power in Lehigh and Northampton counties.

Easton City Council approved a pair of resolutions which will allow them to apply for $15 million in federal grants, which they hope to use to improve the wastewater plant and sewage lines in the city.

The state Department of Environmental Protection announced $980,000 in grants to promote environmental education and stewardship across the state. Two Lehigh Valley programs received pieces of funding.

Optimism reigns that much of Memorial Day weekend will be a lot more pleasant than forecasters first suspected. Here's what the Lehigh Valley can expect.