Environment & Science

“This has been a tremendously difficult storm to forecast due to rapidly changing conditions/temperatures expected and the difference in timing,” the National Weather Service said in its forecast discussion.

PPL Electric Utilities and Met-Ed reported more than 13,000 customers without power Tuesday morning as a winter storm swept through the region.

Several Lehigh Valley schools are closing Tuesday because of the weather forecast.

Early Monday, the National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning in effect for the Lehigh Valley for 7 to 10 inches of snow, with locally higher amounts over the higher elevations.

One area of potential concern at the Allentown State Hospital had been the presence of dioxins in the soil. Dioxins are a group of toxic chemical compounds that take a long time to break down in the environment, and can cause health problems in people.

Betelgeuse is the red supergiant star at Orion’s ‘right shoulder.’

Lehigh and Northampton counties are under a winter storm watch in effect from 12 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, with 4 to 8 inches of heavy, wet snow possible.

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.

It’s a special year for cicadas, insects known for their high-pitched mating songs. Two adjacent broods are expected to co-emerge for the first time in 221 years. Here's the next time they emerge in the Valley.

Northern flying squirrels are endangered, and the Pa. Game Commission works to improve their habitat. A group went searching for the species in the Poconos.

The spring migration count at Hawk Mountain began last month. One-day peak counts reach more than 100 birds in mid- to late-April, with this season’s count continuing through May 15.

This week, Brad and Marty discuss images that McGuire acquired from India’s space program. The images show the first steps by man on the moon.

Pennsylvania Master Naturalist is partnering with the Lehigh County Conservation District to host a Master Naturalist Volunteer training. The course aims to bolster local conservation efforts.

A Montour County environmental educator, arborist and musician is attempting to climb the tallest tree at the highest point in each of the Commonwealth’s 67 counties.

One person who consumed raw milk from Apple Valley Creamery in East Berlin and became ill, officials said. The milk is sold in three Lehigh Valley locations.

The annual scholastic competition combines classroom learning and outdoor activities to engage students in environmental science. The state competition is scheduled for May 22 in Mifflinburg.

Toasty has been the word to describe the Lehigh Valley’s weather this week, but forecasters say we’re about to cool off in a big way. They're expecting a big drop in temperatures to go along with our wet weekend.

Carbon County officials on Thursday will sign on to a partnership with Northampton, officials announced. Their goal is to bolster farmland preservation efforts.

Arcadia plans to tear down the SureStay Plus Hotel by Best Western at 300 Gateway Drive off Route 512 and replace it with a 250,000-square-foot warehouse. If the permit is approved, developers will be allowed to discharge stormwater from construction activities into the Monocacy Creek.

C.F. Martin & Company has unveiled a vivid new museum display focused on sustainable manufacturing practices, highlighting years of innovations which focus on quality instruments with an environmentally-friendly orientation.

A sun-splashed Sunday may have felt like the beginning of summer, but temperatures Monday soared into record-breaking territory, the National Weather Service said.

This week, WLVR’s Brad and Bethlehem’s ‘Backyard Astronomy Guy,’ Marty McGuire discuss the planet Jupiter. All winter it has been among the brightest objects in the night sky. But soon it will disappear.