Ice Quakes Multiply in the U.S. Amid Extreme Cold

• Extreme cold generates loud booms
• Frozen ground causes fractures
• Phenomenon alarms communities

The extreme cold recorded across much of the United States has triggered a wave of frost quakes—also known as cryoseisms—in several states.

This is a rare phenomenon that occurs when the ground freezes and contracts suddenly, generating small, earthquake-like events.

In recent days, these events have been reported especially in central and eastern states.

The phenomenon has coincided with an intense cold wave affecting large portions of US territory.

Ice quakes shake communities during extreme cold

#QHuboTVNoticias | International: The extreme cold recorded across much of the United States in recent days has triggered a wave of “frost quakes” or cryoseisms in several states, a phenomenon that occurs when the ground freezes and suddenly contracts…
pic.twitter.com/fH9YXtrerp

— Q’hubo TV Oficial (@Qhubotvoficial) January 28, 2026

Cryoseisms occur when the ground is saturated with water and undergoes sudden freezing.

Evan Webb, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Kentucky, explained the process in statements to EFE.

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According to Webb, rain or freezing rain penetrates soil that has not yet frozen and saturates it.

Then, a rapid drop in temperature abruptly freezes that moisture.

As water expands when it turns to ice, it generates cracks or fractures in the ground—key drivers of ice quakes in the United States during severe cold snaps.

Nighttime explosions that spark alarm

❄️ The intense cold sweeping the United States has caused an unusual phenomenon known as ice quakes or cryoseisms, reported mainly in Kentucky and Tennessee. pic.twitter.com/2jcv9IWOk0

— La Silla Rota (@lasillarota) January 28, 2026

This process produces loud booms or explosive sounds that many people have heard at night.

Cryoseisms can be accompanied by strong vibrations and, in some cases, cause trees to fall.

Webb clarified that these events are generally harmless.

Even so, the sound can be alarming and similar to a gunshot.

Videos circulating on social media capture the noise produced by some of these events.

Impact of the cold wave

The description of the phenomenon matches what has occurred since the weekend in the United States.

A cold wave has battered the region from Texas to the northern Atlantic coast.

Large snow accumulations and temperatures far below average have been recorded.

In some states, temperatures have been 15 to 20 degrees below normal.

The winter storm left 34 people dead as of Tuesday in the United States.

It also caused the largest wave of flight cancellations since the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than half a million households remained without electricity.

Daytime highs hovered around –5°C in inland areas.

With Arctic air, wind chills felt below –20°C in some states.

Amid reports of loud booms, regional NWS offices issued reassurance messages.

The Louisville weather service said the events were not paranormal.

Webb noted they received numerous calls since the weekend about nighttime noises.

Polar vortex displacement

The cold wave originated from a displacement of the polar vortex.

This is an unusual event that allowed Arctic polar air to descend to lower-than-usual latitudes.

States such as Kentucky and Tennessee were especially affected.

The polar vortex is a mass of cold air that normally remains over the North Pole.

It can shift when the upper atmosphere warms suddenly.

That warming weakens the wind barrier that keeps cold air confined to the Arctic.

Miami, which had largely escaped winter cold, is expected to experience its coldest temperatures in 15 years.

Sub-freezing temperatures are forecast for the city this coming weekend.

A similar episode last occurred in January 2024.

During that event, record lows were recorded in southern states.

At least 40 people died during that episode, according to national media—underscoring the broader risks that accompany ice quakes in the US amid extreme cold.