Environment & Science

Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton all have tracts designated as environmental justice areas. Here's what that means, and how residents can help shape state policy.

From low 80s to our first frost? Quiet weather and warm temperatures will dominate the Lehigh Valley forecast this week, but big changes are ahead.

In its third year, and hosted by the state’s GreenGov Council and Penn State Sustainability, Commonwealth Sustainability Week features daily, free webinars focused on climate change and sustainability efforts statewide.

As temperatures climb back into the 80s this week, PennDOT will begin to host job fairs in Lehigh and Northampton counties to fill a variety of positions for the winter season.

Lehigh County and the state Game Commission in 2007 partnered to open up the North Range for bowhunters to combat overpopulation, deer and invasive plants.

Would critical weather information come to a halt during the looming federal government shutdown?

The results of a 2019 survey, published last week, shows a majority of Pennsylvania's streams are contaminated with PFAS, also called "forever chemicals." Five streams were tested in the Valley.

WLVR's Megan Frank talks with digital content producer Kat Dickey and managing producer Stephanie Sigafoos.

The commonwealth's six-week leaf-peeping season has begun. Here's when in the Lehigh Valley can expect peak colors, as well as some of the best places to see fall foliage.

Lehigh Valley Breathes is a Valley-wide effort to monitor air quality amid emissions from trucking and warehousing. The project is expected to run for a year.

It might seem counterintuitive, but harvesting holiday trees year after year is better for the environment than using an artificial one, experts said, especially amid the proliferation of plastic piling up in landfills.

Officials on Wednesday reviewed several preliminary transportation policy strategies for the Valley's priority climate action plan. The plan’s focus is to reduce carbon emissions from transportation, a significant driver of greenhouse gas emissions across the region.

More than three dozen projects in the Valley were awarded grants, receiving about 7% of the total funding awarded. Statewide, $335 million in grants were announced Wednesday.

"Turn around, don't drown", warned a spokesperson for PennDOT. More than once today, people in the Valley have had to be rescued from their cars after driving into water that shut their engines off, trapping the drivers.

Some parts of the Lehigh Valley saw more than four inches of rain from Sunday into Monday, with precipitation still falling.

Schools are closing early and a large swath of the region is under a flood warning until at least 3:15 p.m. as the storm system that inundated the area overnight moves north.

The winter, or December, solstice takes place this year between sundown on Dec. 21 and sunrise Dec. 22

The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission at 11 a.m. on Wednesday is holding a meeting at its Allentown office to brainstorm and prioritize ways to decarbonize transportation across the region. Decarbonization is the process of reducing or eliminating carbon dioxide emissions.

Many spots could receive 2 to 3 inches of rain, forecasters warn, with areas of flooding possible Sunday night as another coastal storm targets the region.

Amid the joy and festivities, environmental advocates are urging residents to keep sustainability in mind during what can be a time of year when trash and waste spikes.

State environmental officials on Thursday evening hosted the last of five public engagement sessions, as they work to create a Priority Climate Action Plan, or PCAP, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emission statewide and mitigate further effects of climate change.

Forecasters say another impactful storm is expected to move up the coast, bringing heavy rain and gusty winds to the region Sunday into Monday.