Environment & Science

The U.S. Drought Monitor on Thursday showed all of the Lehigh Valley in either “moderate” or “severe” drought.

At a hearing at Nitschmann Middle School in Bethlehem, concerned residents voiced worries about what could happen in the case of a train derailment of hazardous material.

This week on Watching the Skies, WLVR's Brad Klein and Bethlehem's Backyard Astronomy Guy Marty McGuire talk about the upcoming new moon, just in time for Halloween.

Lehigh and Northampton counties and surrounding areas ripe for easy-starting potential fire situations.

PennEnvironment's 2024 “Renewables on the Rise” report ranks every state for the production of wind energy, solar power, energy storage and other metrics over the last decade, tracking growth.

Plainfield Township supervisors voted to consider a zoning change that would pave the way for the Grand Central Landfill to expand. It's the first of many, many steps in the process.

Covering 187 acres in Salisbury and Upper Saucon townships, the sanctuary has seven different trails, and is the conservancy’s ninth nature preserve in the Lehigh Valley.

The plan, estimated to cost more than $300 million over the next decade, seeks to overhaul and upgrade aging water and wastewater infrastructure across more than a dozen Lehigh County municipalities.

The Bethlehem Area School District is getting $2 million in federal rebates to buy 10 more electric school buses. Officials expect the buses to be in service next school year.

This week is a good one to spot the planets that are visible in the night sky, both in evenings and early mornings.

The Unidos Foundation was one of 12 community organizations across Pennsylvania to receive the grant. Money is earmarked to ensure that historically marginalized and underserved communities have access to information and resources about environmental protection.

More than a year after the federal government held its first hearing on unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAPs, two more were held within a week in November.

The Lehigh Valley is expected to see snow showers this week. Starting Tuesday evening, snow showers will move through the area, with more impactful showers Wednesday night through Thursday, including high winds.

Lehigh Township volunteer firefighters shared the obstacles they faced fighting a 600-acre fire that erupted on Blue Mountain. Almost a month later, it's still not technically out.

A NASA robotic mission that is exploring the inner reaches of our solar system will literally ‘touch the Sun’ on Christmas Eve.

The Lehigh Valley is in a 9-inch rain shortfall. The prolonged dry spell has raised concerns about the longevity of fresh-cut Christmas trees this year. And, it's thinning out the trees planted this year to grow for future holiday seasons.

The township's Shade Tree Commission was awarded 15 trees from a statewide nonprofit dedicated to improving the tree canopy in urban areas.

Listings will include risks for flood, wildfire, wind, heat and air quality, as well as interactive maps and insurance requirements.

Highs in the 30s and lows mainly in the 20s are forecast for the weekend and well into next week, which could be jarring on the heels of one our warmest Novembers on record.

With no quick cure for the fast-moving, but slow-to-kill disease, experts said American beech trees could be functionally extinct throughout the state within 10 to 15 years.

Guidance “continues to trend towards a warmer solution for Thursday’s storm,” the National Weather Service said, meaning it's going to be a wet, not white, Thanksgiving.

Said Edward Boscola, Bethlehem water and sewer resources director: “It’s important for everybody to know that the lead levels in the city’s drinking water system are very low."