It is indeed possible for trees to split apart in extreme conditions and to do so quite noisily, she said, typically when there’s a big swing in temperatures. In these instances, sap rapidly freezes when the mercury plummets and the tree expands, its trunk or limbs busting open like the buttons on a too-tight shirt after Thanksgiving dinner.

Tree sap is mostly water with sugars and minerals, and like many liquids, it expands when it freezes. Gradual freezes usually don’t harm trees — even if it gradually cools to subzero — but plunging temperature swings cause uneven freezing and internal pressure. This stress can crack the bark and wood, producing what sounds like a loud pop.

Forecasters warn an extreme winter storm could trigger rare “exploding trees” across the Upper Midwest as temperatures plunge below zero, causing sap inside trees to freeze and crack bark. The storm is expected to bring widespread snow,

We're not even one month into 2026, and with everything that's happening, now we have to deal with exploding trees? No, not entirely. But a sudden deep freeze is going to send temperatures plummeting in much of Canada and the U.