Meteorologists say that water rapidly freezing in the soil amid bitterly cold temperatures can make a startling noise and even cause small vibrations.
These noises are known as frost quakes or cryoseisms, a cold-weather phenomenon that occurs when rain or melted snow in the ground quickly freezes, expanding as it solidifies, when temperatures rapidly fall below freezing. As the ice expands, pressure builds around the surrounding soil, causing it to crack and make booming sounds and light shaking.
