Signs of freezing can be seen in trees.
A significant cold snap is on the horizon for many regions across the country, with experts warning that temperatures dipping below zero might lead to trees exploding.
This intense arctic wind from Canada is expected to bring temps down to around 20 degrees below zero, raising concerns that trees could crack and burst throughout the Midwest and Northern Plains as early as Friday and Saturday, noted meteorologist Max Velocity on social media.
“Trees could explode across the Midwest and Northern Plains on Friday and Saturday as temperatures are expected to drop to 20 degrees below zero,” said Velocity, a YouTuber with about 1.55 million followers, in a post on X.
Another weather enthusiast on social media highlighted that while it’s uncommon, such occurrences can pose risks to both healthy and weakened trees during extreme cold spells.
Evergreens, on the other hand, are generally built to handle winter conditions. Still, experts caution that if they don’t have sufficient time to adjust to a rapid drop in temperatures, their bark could crack or rupture.
During extreme cold, or if the tree hasn’t had the chance to acclimate, the sap within may freeze. According to the National Forest Foundation, this sap contains water; when it freezes, it expands, putting pressure on the bark, which might lead to cracking or even explosions. Historical accounts of trees bursting due to severe cold conditions have been documented.
Christopher Baird, an associate professor of physics at West Texas A&M University, compared this phenomenon to how water freezing in pipes can cause them to burst.
He noted that the sounds you might hear in winter woods—often resembling gunshots—are actually the noises of trees freezing and breaking apart.
“The crackling and gunshots you hear in winter forests are the sounds of trees freezing and bursting,” Baird explained on the university’s website.
Trees have numerous fluid channels; if one fails, there are usually many others to rely on. Each channel is relatively small, so damage is often minimal even if one bursts.
A frigid weather front is projected to bring temperatures plummeting from below freezing to single digits across a significant portion of the eastern U.S.
The warning is clear—experts advise people to remain indoors to avoid risking hypothermia.
“It’s dangerously cold,” said Tom Kinnes, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, emphasizing the need for layered clothing and limiting outdoor exposure. “An arctic explosion is on the way. It’s going to get worse before it gets better.”
