The Phenomenon Behind The Startling Mysterious Booms In Wisconsin

There are a lot of unique natural phenomena that take place in Wisconsin when it gets this cold.  One that was newly discovered for some in Wisconsin came in the form of some wild loud "booms".

 Mother Nature Dangers In Wisconsin

Over the weekend I heard these loud booms coming from outside and did as much investigating as possible without actually going outside cause it was way too cold for that.

My first thought was a tree falling.  With so much snow and ice on the trees along with wind and cold I thought the trees could give up and collapse.  While I did see a big branch that came down, and as you can see a bush that will need to perk up in the spring, there was nothing that big that fell to make that loud of noise.

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The next thought was the roof.  There is a lot of snow on Illinois roofs and in Illinois gutters.  Which is a danger as well.  Again, didn't go outside to check, but a quick look out the windows and at the ceiling, and all looked fine.

So did a deer crash into the house?  Is there a crazy burglar braving the temps to break in?  What could it be?

Frost Quake's In Wisconsin

Have you ever heard of a "frost quake"?  Me neither, but it explains what is going on.

Frost quakes, or cryoseism, happen when the ground gets soaked by water from heavy rain or melting snow.  Then, the temps become super cold quickly causing the water to freeze which of course expands.

The water continues to freeze until it cracks and pops and booms and wakes you up at 3:00 in the morning wondering what is happening outside.

There is still time for you to hear the booms with how cold it is.  And now that you've learned about frost quakes you won't have to go outside and freeze while investigating.