Environment & Science

A heat map generated from PennDOT crash statistics shows a high rate of collisions involving deer and vehicles — the Lehigh Valley included. Pennsylvania also ranked No. 3 overall for the likelihood of having an animal-vehicle collision.

Several Lehigh Valley residents reported witnessing a string of lights in the sky in the Allentown and Bethlehem areas on Saturday night, Sept. 16.

High pressure originating from the Great Lakes is shifting offshore on Sunday, paving the way for an approaching cold front and unsettled conditions.

The fellowship focuses on bolstering students who show interest and promise in leadership and social impact. Of the more than 44,000 applications submitted, only 4,000 were accepted.

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.

The mud-colored salamander–also known as a snot otter, mud devil, and Allegheny alligator–can grow to be two feet long, and can live up to 30 years.

This year's Bake Oven Knob Autumn Hawk Watch has so far recorded more than 1,000 migrating birds of prey, not including the dozens logged Thursday morning.

How much snow is coming this winter? Model ensembles and long-range outlooks are starting to yield some clues.

Officials at Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center on Wednesday held their annual "Monarch Madness" tagging event. Four male and two female monarchs were tagged.

Just days away from the official start of fall, forecasters say the Lehigh Valley will see a long stretch of dry weather and seasonal temperatures ahead.

PennEnvironment's 2024 “Renewables on the Rise” report ranks every state for the production of wind energy, solar power, energy storage and other metrics over the last decade, tracking growth.

Plainfield Township supervisors voted to consider a zoning change that would pave the way for the Grand Central Landfill to expand. It's the first of many, many steps in the process.

Covering 187 acres in Salisbury and Upper Saucon townships, the sanctuary has seven different trails, and is the conservancy’s ninth nature preserve in the Lehigh Valley.

The plan, estimated to cost more than $300 million over the next decade, seeks to overhaul and upgrade aging water and wastewater infrastructure across more than a dozen Lehigh County municipalities.

“It will feel more like a mid-to-late August day, with highs in the low to mid 80s under clear skies,” the weather service said in its latest forecast discussion, noting records could fall for climate stations across the region.

The Bethlehem Area School District is getting $2 million in federal rebates to buy 10 more electric school buses. Officials expect the buses to be in service next school year.

This week is a good one to spot the planets that are visible in the night sky, both in evenings and early mornings.

EPAWA meteorologist Bobby Martrich said, “While the milder outlooks that are out there have merit and support, it’s not as cut and dry as it seems and there can be some surprises, especially earlier in winter.”

Easton's Nurture Nature Center is hosting a free star party in Scott Park from 7 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19, offering use of their telescopes and the expertise of their staff to help budding stargazers.

Wildlands Conservancy, as well as other partners and stakeholders, on Tuesday marked the completion of restoration work on the Bushkill Creek at Lafayette College with a celebration and wildflower-planting.

Current conditions in the Lehigh Valley and throughout the region will support the spread of any fires that ignite, the National Weather Service warned Friday. Any fires that erupt could be difficult to control.

The commonwealth’s fourth fall foliage report was released Thursday. Here's the forecast for the coming week in Lehigh and Northampton counties.