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.

Plans to demolish three dams in the Easton area on Bushkill Creek are set to improve water quality, remove hazards and allow species to once again move upstream

While the Lehigh Valley is no stranger to the effects of climate change, the new record is a startling reminder about how how global warming has local impacts.

“A very hot, soupy environment is going to lead to high precipitable water content and that means heavy rainfall,” one forecaster said of Friday's Lehigh Valley weather forecast.

Easton's Karl Stirner Arts Trail is an ever-popular destination for locals and travelers seeking a quaint and quick trip through a museum set along a strip of wilderness in the city.

June was cool, but July is proving to be HOT! When the weather switches from mild to extreme in a matter of days, doctors say more people come in with heat-related illnesses.

Humidity has ramped up in a big way as the region is mired in a prolonged period of unsettled weather. But it's this or smoke, meteorologists say.

State environmental officials, along with conservationists across the U.S., are partnering this summer for a firefly observation program called the Firefly Watch Community Science Project.

The Schnecksville zoo's annual Independence Day Celebration included patriotic enrichment for the animals, free flags for guests, as well as live music from the Allentown Hobo “Almost” Marching Band.

More people are clamoring for drone shows, which are quieter and safer than fireworks, but Chris Hopkins has the ability to deliver both, and more.

Earlier this month, the state Senate approved Sen. Lisa Boscola's bill, which would increase the fine and direct any fees collected towards bald and golden eagle conservation efforts across the commonwealth.

Fireworks shows in Allentown and Bethlehem could be in jeopardy on Tuesday as the Lehigh Valley continues to be at the mercy of Mother Nature in a sticky, sultry pattern that won’t relent.

The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch for several counties in eastern Pennsylvania, including Lehigh and Northampton. The watch will remain in effect until 11 p.m. Sunday.