Environment & Science

The tornado that touched down Tuesday evening in Bangor has been categorized by the National Weather Service, according to a statement issued Wednesday. The agency estimated peak winds reached 80 to 90 mph with a path length of about 1.50 miles and a maximum path width of 100 yards.

Easton's Environmental Advisory Council voted unanimously to draft and send a letter opposing the Easton Commerce Park to the city’s planning commission. The project is slated to go before the commission Wednesday.

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.

Amidst high temperatures and even higher heat indexes, it is important to know how to cool down and relieve heat stress. However, the Lehigh Valley is underprepared for these extreme temperatures, says an expert.

A statewide drought watch is still in effect, even amid rounds of severe rainstorms and flash flooding.

Heavy rainfall could occur into the evening and overnight.

A July 13 media release stated that the Low Energy Evaporative Fractionation System will employ “an advanced foam fractionation process and proprietary techniques” to treat landfill byproducts.

Officials from Lehigh and Northampton counties are slated to gather at 11 a.m. Aug. 2 at 100 W. Lehigh St. in Bethlehem for a news conference focused on the new project, “Lehigh Valley Breathes.”

The average price for a gallon of gas in Pennsylvania is now 10 cents higher this week, and experts say the pain at the pump is likely to continue.

The Lehigh Valley is preparing for its first official heat wave of the year, with a stretch of 90°+ degree temperatures expected. A heat advisory is in effect from 11 a.m. Thursday to 10 p.m. Friday.

Showers and thunderstorms, possibly severe are possible Tuesday evening, alerts from the Weather Prediction Center have warned.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is hosting a first-of-its-kind summit this week in Philadelphia focused on those aged 65 and older.

Those with lingering COVID-19 symptoms are part of the group of people who should stay indoors when smoke from the Canadian wildfires is particularly bad, says a Lehigh Valley doctor. He says people living with any type of lung problem should be aware of what’s happening outside.

The City of Allentown is looking for artists to paint murals on storm inlets as part of its Go with the Flow Inlet Mural Painting Contest.

The third week of July is the warmest week of the year based on climatological norms, and the Lehigh Valley forecast fits that trend. Excessive heat headlines are likely, the weather service said.