Hearing loud booms? They may be Frost Quakes! Frost Quakes, also known as a Cryoseisms, occur when water seeps into the ground followed by a rapid drop in temperatures. Water in the ground freezes and pressure from the expanding ice causes the soil and rocks to crack. When that happens loud pops and booms can be heard nearby. The wet weather we've had this week with the sudden deep freeze has created ideal conditions for these frost quakes to occur. | Meteorologist Chris Yates

The frost flower phenomenon is a rare natural event where thin sheets of ice form delicate, flower-like ribbons on the stems of certain plants. It occurs when air temperatures drop below freezing, but the ground is not yet frozen, allowing moisture from the soil to travel up plant stems. The expanding ice within the stem causes it to crack, and the plant's sap oozes out, freezing into unique, thin ice formations. | I Love The Smoky Mountains

Maple tree trunk cracking. | Bergeson Nursery