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 ...

Every time arctic air drops south, and temperatures plummet well below zero, social media lights up with a scary (and slightly cinematic) rumor called "exploding trees." Videos circulate of loud, ...

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 ...

When temperatures plunge and the air goes painfully still, people in northern forests sometimes hear a sharp crack that sounds like a gunshot. That eerie noise has fueled a viral claim that trees ...

This weekend, much of the United States is expecting to be hit with a polar vortex with extreme cold — cold that's icy, bone-chilling and … explosive? As people prepare for these frigid temperatures, ...

A viral social media post shared thousands of times warned of an “exploding tree risk” as temperatures from the Northern Plains to Great Lakes are set to plunge below zero from Friday, Jan. 23, to ...

Severe cold temperatures hitting much of the country this week could branch out − literally. As people brace for the winter weather, some social media posts in recent days have warned of the chance ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. A woman snaps photos of snow and frost-covered trees on a winter day of subzero temperatures across Bavaria this month near ...

Experts say trees do not explode but can crack loudly due to rapid temperature changes. This phenomenon, known as "frost cracking," occurs when tree sap freezes and expands. Young trees, thin-barked ...