© Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK
Dread it. Run from it. But it appears that whether we like it or not, the great blizzard of 2026 is set to hit a significant portion of the United States over the weekend.
Reports have circulated all week of “Unending Arctic Cold” leading to a massive snowstorm throughout the eastern half of the country.
That led X account @MaxVelocityWX, which tracks weather patterns and have over 138,000 followers, to put out a warning to those in the midwest, in particular, to be on the lookout for exploding trees.
EXPLODING TREES are possible in the Midwest and Northern Plains on Friday and Saturday, as temperatures are forecasted to fall 20 degrees BELOW zero! pic.twitter.com/nqnoqsbHNU
— Max Velocity (@MaxVelocityWX) January 21, 2026
Exploding Trees Technically Aren’t A Real Thing
Yes, you read that correctly. Exploding trees.
“For anyone wondering, yes this is real. I live in Alaska, and we have trees split or “explode” from the moisture drying out inside the trunks during periods of cold temps (-30°F to -50°F),” one person replied.
And another replied to ESPN’s Pat McAfee, showing an “exploded” tree that they came across.
@PatMcAfeeShow it’s happening… pic.twitter.com/4GbBspkFlU
— Bob Rae (@TheBobRae) January 22, 2026
However, Meteorologist Sam Kuffel, who has over 23,000 followers on X, chimed in to claim that the idea of “exploding tree” was actually, in fact, a lie.
Also, no, your trees aren’t going to explode 🙄
— Meteorologist Sam Kuffel (@SamKuffelWx) January 21, 2026
So, what’s the real story here?
Trees Are Prone To Frost Cracking In Extreme Cold Temps
Sadly, as cool as it sounds, trees don’t just suddenly “explode” in extremely cold weather. What they do, however, is a phenomenon called “frost cracking” which can often sound like an explosion when it occurs.
Frost cracking occurs during sudden, severe temperature drops. It’s a result of the outer bark of the tree shrinking faster than the inner wood, which causes stress and often a loud crack as the trunk splits, typically vertically on the sun-exposed side.
The cracks will usually heal, but in extreme cases, they can both look and sound like an explosion.
So if you were hoping for the trees in your backyard to suddenly go all Mission Impossible, we hate to disappoint. But if you hear something that sounds like a gunshot, it’s possible your tree may have just had quite the incident.