 "Some gorecasters in the US are warning that subzero temperatures in the coming days could cause trees to explode. A brutal cold snap is expected to hit large parts of the country on Friday and Saturday. Pixabay")
Several parts of the United States are bracing for rapidly dropping sub-zero temperatures this week. Amid rising concerns about extreme cold, some striking claims are gaining attention, including those of “exploding trees”. According to social media meteorologist Max Velocity, trees may split and burst in parts of the Midwest and Northern Plains in the coming days.
“EXPLODING TREES are possible in the Midwest and Northern Plains on Friday and Saturday, as temperatures are forecasted to fall 20 degrees BELOW zero!” claimed “degreed meteorologist” Max Velocity in a post on X.
However, not all experts agree. Some have declined the idea, saying it is far less dramatic than it sounds. So, can trees actually “explode” during extreme weather? We explain.
Fierce winter weather in the US
The majority of the United States is set to shiver as a massive winter storm is expected to hit this week. Forecasters have warned that the cold front may ramp up in the southwest on Thursday (January 22). Transportation officials, including airport authorities in several major cities, are cautioning travellers to prepare for delays amid crippling cold weather, BBC reported.
“With the extreme cold temperatures, expect prolonged snow and ice impacts which may include hazardous travel conditions, power outages, tree damage, snow-covered roads, and reduced visibility,” warned the National Weather Service (NWS).
Several state governors, including those of Texas, North Carolina, and South Carolina, have already declared states of emergency. In a statement, Texas Governor Greg Abbott asserted, “Based on current forecasts, the State of Texas is acting to ensure Texans have the resources they need before severe winter weather impacts communities across Texas,” according to a media report.
Quick Reads
View AllA dangerous January cold has gripped states like Minnesota and Wisconsin, prompting the National Weather Service to issue an extreme cold warning. AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tom Kines told The New York Post, “This Arctic air — an Arctic blast — is coming. It’s going to get worse before it gets better. Dangerously cold.” Adding, “Better stay inside or risk hypothermia. Layer up and only go out if you have to.”
Stark warning of exploding trees
As parts of the US brace for a bone-chilling cold, several viral social media posts have sounded the alarm of “exploding trees”. Meteorologists also cautioned something similar but refrained from using the word “exploding”.
National Weather Service meteorologist Jake Beitlich told the Minnesota Star Tribune, “There can be vertical cracks in the bark when the sap and everything that’s in the tree drops below freezing quickly. Those cracks can lead to popping sounds. But explode is more of an attention-grabber than a threat or real hazard.”
However, the National Forest Foundation decoded how trees can actually explode due to extreme cold weather. According to the Foundation, tree bark provides enough insulation and protection against freezing and cracking during the cold. But, when the temperature drops, the sap inside a tree can begin to freeze.
“Sap contains water, so it expands when frozen, putting pressure on the bark, which can break and create an explosion,” it added.
Popular Science reported, citing a news article, “Meteorologists warn that temperatures falling 20 degrees below zero could cause trees to split suddenly, posing risks to people, homes, vehicles, and power lines across North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Michigan.
Even a social media weather buff, Rebecca An, highlighted that although rare, in these extremely frigid conditions, trees can “split or explode”.
A physics associate professor at West Texas A&M University, Christopher Baird, explained that a tree bursting often sounds like a gunshot. On a university website, he said, “The crackling sound or gunshot pop you hear in the forest in the winter is the sound of trees freezing and bursting.”
“A tree has hundreds to tens of thousands of these fluid channels. If one bursts, the tree has plenty of other ones to rely on. Furthermore, each channel is small, so that an individual channel bursting does not do so much damage.”
A forest health specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Bill McNee, confirmed that while rare, tree explosions can occur.
McNee was quoted by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel as saying, “I’ve never seen the damage of it, but from what I have seen and what I read online is that it is rare for there just to be so much pressure that is suddenly released inside this tree that it almost does explode.”
What science says about trees exploding
While there is a lot of buzz about “exploding trees”, the phenomenon is rare, usually harmless, and far less dramatic than it sounds. For centuries, naturalists and Indigenous cultures have noted that trees can crack loudly during extreme cold, but there’s little evidence of a serious danger to people.
Popular Science mentioned Scottish botanist John Claudius Loudon, writing in his Encyclopaedia of Gardening. “In the great frost in 1683, the trunks of oak, ash, walnut, and other trees were miserably split and cleft, so that they might be seen through, and the cracks often attended with dreadful noises like the explosion of fire-arms.”
While the cracking can damage trees, most survive and continue growing once warmer weather returns. According to naturalists, “exploding trees” aren’t a real threat, though the extreme cold that causes them can be.
With inputs from agencies