Exploding Tree Warning For North Dakota? Here’s The Deal!

If you were scrolling on social media at all yesterday, you likely ran across a post or two about "exploding trees" due to frigid weather. Of course, we are looking at the coldest weather of the winter so far, starting today through Sunday.

An Exploding Tree Warning Issued

In fact, the National Weather Service in Bismarck has issued a Cold Weather Warning for the entire listening area through Sunday at 12 noon. We are likely to experience sub-zero temperatures during most of this period and life-threatening windchills as low as 55 below. Sounds fun, right...but can trees really explode in extreme cold weather?

This made me laugh out loud from our friends at the Bismarck Bubble.

Also, the reason Bigfoot tends not to hang out in North Dakota a whole lot. We just don't have a lot of trees.

Exploding Trees...Is it a Real Thing?

First off, it's NOT like fireworks. The term "exploding trees" refers to a real phenomenon called FROST CRACKING. This is a real thing. I have relatives in northwest Minnesota in forest country, and I have experienced this phenomenon firsthand.

What it really sounds like is a gunshot. A tree doesn't really crumble into a pile of rubble when frost cracking occurs.

What Causes Frost Cracking?

It's when extreme cold causes frozen sap to expand and the wood to contract, leading to sudden, loud cracks or splits in the trunk that can sound like a rifle shot or a small explosion. The first time I ever heard this in the woods, it did startle me a bit, but it's nothing like a fireworks show at a Lark's game.

Most people have never experienced this before because sane people aren't walking in the woods in 20 below weather (must be the hunter in me). Most North Dakotans haven't experienced this before because of our lack of trees and the types of trees in which this most often happens. Exploding trees or frost cracking is most common in trees like maple, birch, poplar, and ash trees during rapid temperature drops. Again, this is not a true explosion.

If you really want to get into the nuts and bolts of exploding trees, our friends at NDSU Extension hit the nail on the head with a post.

There you have it. You are now well-versed on "exploding trees"; it's a real thing. I've witnessed it myself, but it's nothing like what went down at Gray Oil in Mandan a couple of weeks back. That was an EXPLOSION.