See extreme cold cause trees to seemingly ‘explode’ in videos
Jan. 27, 2026, 12:47 p.m. ET Bitterly cold arctic air has blanketed parts of the United States over the last week, with some areas getting snow and subzero temperatures. Along with the cold weather comes a natural event called frost cracks, which are the true culprit behind the viral “exploding trees” phenomenon flooding social media platforms. While it might look like trees are suddenly “exploding,” that’s not necessarily what’s happening. Frost cracks are the real reason behind trees breaking. The incidents are caused by a sudden drop in temperature and can cause branches to fall off, Bill McNee, a forest









