When temperatures plunge and the air goes painfully still, people in northern forests sometimes hear a sharp crack that sounds like a gunshot. That eerie noise has fueled a viral claim that trees ...

Social media posts warning of "exploding trees" in subzero temperatures are mischaracterizing a phenomenon known as frost cracks. Frost cracks form when water inside trees freezes and expands. As a ...

Across parts of the world, winter has settled in hard. Sub-zero temperatures, sudden freezes, and heavy snow are affecting many regions, and with them an unexpected side effect: sharp cracking sounds ...

It turns out that trees can actually explode when temperatures drop. Trees can explode during extreme cold due to sap expansion when it freezes. Oak, maple, and fruit trees with high moisture are most ...

John Seiler was strolling across Virginia Tech’s campus with his students Thursday morning when something stopped them in their tracks: a sweet cherry tree with an unusual jagged scar running along ...