As more than half of the United States braces for a powerful winter storm, some meteorologists are warning on social media that “exploding trees” are possible.

A tree-mendous freeze. Forecasters are warning that expected subzero temperatures could cause trees to explode as a brutal cold snap is expected to wallop most of the country in the coming days. Trees may split and burst across the Midwest and Northern Plains Friday and Saturday as a bitter Arctic blast from Canada sends temperatures plunging to roughly 20 degrees below zero,

The North Dakota Highway Patrol has seen traffic accidents begin to stack up in Fargo-Moorhead this week, and that will likely only continue as weather conditions deteriorate. “People are just driving too fast for those conditions,

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.

Local meteorologists warned that when coupled with wind chill, temperatures would feel as cold as minus 54 degrees. The temperatures are life-threatening to humans and can also cause trees to "explode," according to a meteorologist who warned of the phenomenon on X on Tuesday night.