Whether you’re referring to the current snowstorms as the deadliest and most dangerous there have ever been or not, you can’t deny it has been COLD. In fact, these last few Januarys have been the coldest recorded ones since 1988! With cold temperatures come the cautions you must look out for and avoid. These dangers could include freezing temperatures, pneumonia, power outages, icy roads, and even falling icicles. These are all dangers that we are used to and know how to prepare for and avoid. Recently, an all-natural phenomenon has become more mainstream that people are worrying about, which they are calling “Exploding Trees!” While in the state of Virginia, you may not have to worry about these land mines, but in more northern states, you may need to watch the trees as you hike through the wintery wonderland.

While they may seem to be exploding trees, that is not the actual term or definition of what the trees are doing in the cold air. The actual term for this is called “Frost Cracking.” As the name would suggest, it means that the bark from the tree begins to crack due to the frost in the air. While people may believe this is some new thing happening and the government is trying to blow us up, this is a natural occurrence when freezing temperatures meet weak wood. To be more exact, the water in the tree sap freezes and expands inside the usually thinner tree. The pressure built up in the tree causes the bark to crack and, at times, explode off the tree. The sound it makes is very loud and could easily be misheard as firecrackers or gunshots. If a tree happens to frost crack or explode in the woods and no one is around to hear it, then it must be really deep in the woods. Another misconception people have is that the exploding trees could harm you. As it is not an actual explosion, there isn’t much shrapnel in the bark to blow you away. The tree will usually remain as it is in the ground, just forming giant cracks throughout the bark. There are zero reported deaths from these events.