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Climate & environment

No, you won’t be able to see the northern lights in Maryland
The northern lights will not be visible in Maryland this week. Sorry if we got your hopes up.
An aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, is seen in the night sky in the early morning hours of Monday, April 24, 2023, in Washington state.
Parts of Maryland under drought watch; residents and businesses asked to conserve water
Western Maryland and portions of central and eastern Maryland are under the watch because of lower-than-normal stream flows and groundwater levels for this time of year.
Person at a tap, filling a glass of water.
Worried about flight cancellations? Here are 7 tips to save your vacation.
How has travel been affected by weather changes? Is it going to get better? I talked to a travel consultant to help answer those questions.
People look down on Inner Harbor from the Baltimore World Trade Center as the city is covered in haze from Canadian wildfires June 29.
Baltimore, several counties under severe thunderstorm watch; ‘hazardous’ weather possible
Much of Maryland is under a flood watch Sunday, according to the National Weather Service, and could see severe thunderstorms produce excessive rainfall and strong winds.
Scattered thunderstorms are possible in Baltimore Thursday.
Solar storm on Thursday expected to make northern lights visible in Maryland
The Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks has forecast auroral activity in 17 states.
People in more than a dozen states could get to see the Northern Lights next week.
Political notes: No General Assembly vacancies; two political books; climate advice for Moore
For several months, the General Assembly has been dealing with a post-election series of departures and appointments.
Maryland, Baltimore City, Baltimore County politics
How the Chesapeake Bay got a boost from less rainfall
Scientists say seagrass acreage is expanding and the bay's toxic "dead zone" could shrink by as much as a third this year.
Wild celery and other bay grasses grow in the Susquehanna Flats south of Havre de Grace, Md., on Aug. 2, 2019.
Is climate change altering Chesapeake Bay clouds? Maybe.
Climate change, spelling hotter and wetter weather, is increasing the frequency and severity of storms. Maybe it’s altering clouds, too.
My wife and I were driving across the Spa Creek Bridge in downtown Annapolis for a quick dinner Monday and spotted a bank of opalescent pillows rising atop the city’s familiar outline of historic buildings.
Chesapeake Bay agencies increase limits on crab harvest, but watermen ask for bigger catch
The region’s fishery managers are far from confident that a surfeit of blue crabs now lurks beneath the bay’s surf. But they say that results from the just-released wintertime survey were promising enough to relax some of the restrictions.
A blue crab is netted on Maryland's Choptank River.
Comic: El Niño, what it is and what to expect in Maryland
In early June 2023, scientists confirmed that El Niño climate conditions are present in the Pacific Ocean. This comic explains what El Niño is and what effects it will have on U.S. and Maryland weather.
Illustration of NOAA scientist gesturing toward graphic showing red and orange areas of the Pacific ocean between Papua New Guinea and South America to indicate warmer water temperatures.
What’s up with the rays along the Inner Harbor?
Cownose rays return to Maryland every summer — even though the state used to have killing competitions for them.
A cownose ray (Rhinoptera bonasus) swimming underwater in an aquarium.
Air quality expected to reach unhealthy levels Thursday as wildfire smoke returns
Canadian wildfire smoke is expected to linger through Thursday in the Baltimore region, but forecasters say the general public is less likely to be affected than when the Air Quality Index reached dangerous levels in early June.
The Air Quality Index this week is not expected to reach the levels seen earlier this month. Here, a person runs through Federal Hill Park on June 8 as wildfire smoke blanketed the area.
What’s the buzz on urban beekeeping in Baltimore?
No need for an exterminator: Bees on the roof and in backyards are part of the rise in urban beekeeping and environmental responsibility in the city.
Solomon Jeong checks on the bees on the roof of the Baltimore Convention Center.
Dozens displaced after lightning strikes Bel Air condo, starting fire
A two-alarm apartment fire sparked by a lightning strike caused an apartment building to partially collapse Monday evening in Bel Air.
Approximately 75 Harford County volunteer firefighters responded to a two-alarm apartment fire Monday night in the 1300 block of Sheridan Place in Bel Air.
Thunderstorms in region lead to power outages, delays in Orioles game
BGE crews were working to restore power to more than 4,100 customers affected by Monday night’s storms, mostly in Baltimore County.
Heavy rainfall, damaging winds and large hail were predicted for the Baltimore region on the night of Monday, June 26, 2023.
Advocates, health experts urge Maryland to cut emissions by swiftly moving to electric vehicles
Some 5.1 million Marylanders live in areas that are failing to meet EPA‘s ground-level ozone standards and suffering adverse health effects, including higher levels of asthma.
Truck traffic along Highway 83 in Baltimore City.
State extends supervision of Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant
Baltimore fire officials this week released the results of their investigation into an explosion at a contractor facility at the plant, stating a spark in the dryer ignited dust and caused an explosion that then ignited thermal oil.
The two digesters at the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant near Baltimore.
Johns Hopkins APL scientists test better ways to remove ‘forever chemicals’ from homes and water
Johns Hopkins APL scientists are figuring out how to get so-called “forever chemicals” used in products and packaging out of the environment so they can’t harm people or animals.
The filter designed by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab uses whiskers to leech onto short-chain PFAS molecules, removing up to 90% of the PFAS from the water system.
SpongeBob adopts one of Baltimore’s trash wheels
Gwynnda the Good Wheel of the West will be funded through 2023 by a sustainability initiative launched by Paramount, the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore announced Friday.
SpongeBob Squarepants and Patrick Star smile and wave on Gwynnda the Good Wheel of the West.
Composting will soon be required in Laurel
The City of Laurel is set to become the first jurisdiction in Maryland that will mandate composting in 2025.
Freshly screened composted soil sits in the Eastern Sanitary Landfill Solid Waste Management Facility  plant in White Marsh, MD., April 14, 2023.
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