With winter storms and a deep freeze over the northern United States, meteorologists on social media have created a different kind of storm with talk of exploding trees. But how real is the risk of ...

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 ...

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 ...

Meteorologists say that water rapidly freezing in the soil amid bitterly cold temperatures can make a startling noise and even cause small vibrations. These noises are known as frost quakes or ...