In February 2021, in the Willamette valley of Oregon, we had a weather event unprecedented in my lifetime. Winters here are usually overcast and rainy, with li

In February 2021, in the Willamette valley of Oregon, we had a weather event unprecedented in my lifetime. Winters here are usually overcast and rainy, with little to no snow and a handful of mild freezes. In 2021 we had a significant rainfall followed immediately by a deep freeze due to a polar vortex. That morning was like nothing I've ever experienced. About once per minute there would be a loud crack like a gunshot, coming from all directions. After several days, power was restored, the roads were cleared, and it was obvious what happened. Countless deciduous trees had split from what I assume was the accumulated water from the preceding rain storm. There were so many downed and permanently damaged trees that it took around a year for property owners and the city to finish cleanup. Usually, when we get freezing temperatures, it's because there's no cloud cover. It's extremely unusual to swing from heavy rainfall to a deep freeze like that. Anyway, I don't know if this article is talking about something different, but the cracking I heard was definitely deciduous trees cracking due to expanding, freezing water. Few conifers were damaged.