It's all over the internet this week - trees "exploding" in the cold. I'm getting messages, memes and TikToks sent to me about it.
It's funny (in a way), but let's set aside expectation from reality with this phenomenon.
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Are the trees really exploding?
I'm not the Lorax. I don't speak for the trees. That said, they aren't exploding into smithereens.
Arctic air is taking over about two-thirds of the Eastern U.S. this week.
At the same time, you've got some water in the trees. That water freezes, expands and puts intense pressure on the bark and wood.
The tree bark and wood could crack, and it does make a loud sound in some cases.
That loud sound, however, is not akin to the sound you hear an actor walking away from a fiery explosion in the background.
It actually sounds more like a gunshot in some more extreme cases.
It's not necessarily dangerous. This phenomenon doesn't lead to tree bark flying like shrapnel. It's more of a visible crack that can show up.
Now, enough pressure could weaken the tree in the long-term and make it more susceptible to falling.
However, you're more likely to see a tree *explode* during a direct lightning strike.