Environment & Science

Even with several days of rain, the Lehigh Valley remains well below average in long term levels of precipitation. Here's how the rest of the month could shape up.

Videos posted to the Facebook group Slate Belt Chatter show a funnel cloud rotating and descending toward the ground. The weather service said a storm damage assessment will be conducted and more details provided later in the week.

Projects ranged from initiatives aimed at lowering food waste to renewable energy. When complete, the city will be the third of the Lehigh Valley’s major cities to publish a climate action plan.

The annual Envirothon is essentially a scholastic scrimmage for environmental science. Two Lehigh Valley teams have advanced to the state competition.

The so-called "morning star" is brightly visible for the remainder of spring, and easy to spot in the eastern sky just before sunrise.

The tool and seed library at Bethlehem Area Public Library's South Side branch, 400 Webster St., includes free seeds for all. Patrons can check out tools for a week with a library card.

The Dorothy Rider Pool Wildlife Sanctuary is closed to the public following a Tuesday bridge collapse. Wildlands Conservancy has launched a website where updates will be posted.

Terry Hart, of Lower Saucon Township, is a NASA astronaut who flew aboard the space shuttle Challenger in 1984. Today he's a professor in Lehigh University's Department of Mechanical Engineering, mentoring a new generation heading into the field of science and technology.

Led by the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Sustainable Energy Fund, The Lehigh Valley Sustainability Summit drew economic and industry leaders from across the region to engage on topics like waste reduction, energy and economic growth.

The American Lung Association’s “State of the Air” report shows air quality got worse in the Lehigh Valley. The report was released Wednesday.

From April 20 through April 28, residents are invited to join or host a cleanup along a section of the D&L Trail as part of a trash collection competition. Winners will be announced May 3.

More than 2,000 acres on 28 farms in 15 counties across the commonwealth were preserved. Here are the Lehigh Valley farms now safe from development.

More than six months after its launch, 33 air quality monitors have been installed throughout the Lehigh Valley as part of Lehigh Valley Breathes, a regionwide effort to monitor air quality amid emissions from trucking and warehousing.

Arcadia Development Corporation plans to tear down the SureStay Plus Hotel by Best Western at 300 Gateway Drive off Route 512, replacing it with a warehouse. The permit hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. April 29 at Nitschmann Middle School in Bethlehem.

A one-day symposium at Lehigh gathered decision-makers from Pennsylvania's big-name universities, talking strategy for recruiting students cross-border and overseas, and touting economic and cultural benefits.

The city is working to establish an application process for microgrants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, according to Allentown’s new sustainability coordinator.

The Lehigh Valley is under a slight risk of excessive rainfall, with the Weather Prediction Center warning of localized and isolated areas of flash flooding Thursday into Friday.

Hosted by the Northampton County Conservation District, the Envirothon is scheduled for April 18 at Louise W. Moore County Park. Teams will be tested in a handful of different topics, including wildlife, forestry, soils and land use, aquatic ecology and a current environmental issue.

The Biden administration on Wednesday finalized strict limits on certain so-called “forever chemicals” in drinking water that will require utilities to reduce them to the lowest level they can be reliably measured.

The Pennsylvania Museum and Historical Commission will recognize the Allentown State Hospital — which was demolished at the end of 2020 — as a significant part of the Commonwealth’s history by awarding it an Official State Historical Marker.

The results of Lehigh Gap Nature Center's 27th annual Lehigh Gap Area Feeder Watch are in. Find out what birds were spotted.

An extended view of the total solar eclipse that was promised in the Lehigh Valley on Monday afternoon never materialized due to thick cloud cover, disappointing many of the approximately 1,000 at The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley.