Frost Quakes, Loud Bangs In Your House.

Did you hear “booms” or “popping” sounds this morning?  Frost quakes could be to blame!

A frost quake is a rare phenomenon that happens when there is moisture in the ground during times of extreme cold. It’s the water in the ground freezing and causing the ice to expand. It causes the soil and rock to crack which produces booms or popping sounds.

Frost quakes normally happen in the middle of the night when the temperatures are the coldest and have been known to jolt people out of sleep. The noise is often described as booms or loud bangs that sound like they are coming from the roof.  Sometimes they have been reported to sound like gun shots.

This also goes true if there is moisture in the wood of your house.  When the moisture freezes it expands and causes a “popping” sound.

In other states there have been reports of flashing lights when the “Frost Quake” takes place.

I know for us, I heard several of those last night and it was loud enough to wake me up.  I know I was completely baffled as to what was causing the noise.  I went around and checked the house and could find nothing.  So hopefully if you experience this, you are not alone and it’s something that happens in extreme cold weather.