Environment & Science

In the home stretch of summer, is the worst of the heat behind us? Here’s where things stand in the Lehigh Valley as we look ahead — and enter the peak of hurricane season.

Four farms in Lehigh and Northampton counties were the latest to be included in Pennsylvania’s Farmland Preservation Program. The program aims to ward off development and protect open spaces.

It's becoming more favorable as the summer goes on for viewing the planets in the evening sky, including Saturn. But did you know — its angle in relation to an Earth-bound observer is always changing.

Officials came together in Easton to discuss energy efficiency and weatherization programs intended to help residents while cutting emissions Thursday morning.

Tropical Storm Debby has been flooding parts of the Atlantic coast as remnants make their way north. As a result, PA-Task Force 1 has been deployed to assist North Carolina in emergency response operations.

North Whitehall Board of Supervisors on Monday hired engineering consultant Gilmore & Associates to create an Open Space Action Plan for the township.

Musikfest organizers have already eliminated paper food and beverage tickets, and started using renewable energy sources to power tents, vendors and beer trucks – but the work continues to make the event more environmentally-friendly.

This week, Watching the Skies gives an update on the International Space Station, which is currently hosting two ‘extra’ American astronauts.

Over the past few days, Lehigh Valley residents have complained of bad smells wafting through Bethlehem and surrounding areas. Residents have described the most recent heavy odor as a rotting smell.

One of the best chances to ‘catch a falling star’ is the Perseid meteor shower. And the evening of Aug. 12 and early morning of Aug. 13 should be the peak night for this annual event.

DeSales University in Upper Saucon Township sent out a message saying it will reopen at 10 a.m. Thursday, but then reversed course and said the campus would remain closed due to the ongoing power outages.

The Lehigh Valley has posted nearly a month's worth of rain in the last three days, and well over eight inches since the beginning of March.

The school district informed the community it will dismiss all students early “out of an abundance of caution” ahead of the solar eclipse on Monday, April 8.

A lab dedicated to the treatment of hematologic cancers is now open in Allentown. A generous donation helped the cellular therapy lab come into fruition at HNL Lab Medicine.

As severe weather rakes the East Coast, the National Weather Service has issued a special weather statement for the Lehigh Valley effective Wednesday afternoon. A nor'easter is also expected as a secondary low redevelops off the coast.

Monday's solar eclipse will not turn the skies in the Lehigh Valley pitch black, Moravian University astronomy professor Gary A. Becker said. Just a bit wonky. The ideal time in the Lehigh Valley to view the eclipse is 3:24 p.m.

Crews are set to get to work this year on a project to restore Bogert's Bridge after years of fundraising and design work.

The National Weather Service issued the flood watch starting from 6 a.m. Wednesday through 6 p.m. Thursday as the region undergoes several days of rain.

Township Manager Doug Bruce said the plans set forth in the Lehigh Valley Priority Climate Action Plan for Transportation Decarbonization will “set a precedent for other regions to follow.”

Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry is alerting consumers of scammers selling sunglasses to view the eclipse on April 8 that do not protect one's eyes from potentially permanent damage.

The Lehigh Valley is not only looking at a cold, damp and dreary start to the week, there's rain in the forecast through Thursday. Elevated parts of the region could even see some snow Wednesday into Thursday.

The Devil's Comet, which orbits the sun once every 71 years, will swing through our spatial backyard later in April.