Overview
- Forestry agencies and scientists say loud booms in extreme cold are frost cracks—sudden splits in bark and wood as freezing sap and water expand—rather than literal explosions.
- Texas A&M Forest Service, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and PolitiFact emphasized that the sounds can resemble gunfire but do not launch shrapnel or pose direct blast danger.
- Reports commonly note frost cracking is likelier in severe cold around minus 20°F or lower, with susceptibility varying by species and being higher in thin-barked or younger trees.
- Officials caution that real hazards from the Arctic blast include ice-laden limbs breaking and downing power lines, and they say longer-term tree damage will be clearer after the freeze.
- The National Weather Service continues life-threatening cold alerts across large areas of the U.S., while media outlets highlight misinformation driving exaggerated ‘exploding trees’ claims.