Denver, CO – From Denver to Colorado Springs, Coloradans could soon hear thunder-like booms or feel faint tremors during frigid winter nights — but it’s not seismic activity. According to the Colorado Geological Survey, those startling sounds are likely frost quakes — sudden cracking events in the frozen ground caused by extreme temperature swings.
Known scientifically as cryoseisms, frost quakes occur when rain or melting snow seeps into the soil and then freezes too quickly. As the trapped water expands into ice, it builds pressure until the ground suddenly splits, releasing energy with a loud, explosive sound. The event can feel like a small earthquake but is brief and localized.
Meteorologists say conditions are ideal this week across the Front Range and Eastern Plains, where recent snowmelt and overnight lows in the single digits could combine to trigger frost quakes. These are most likely to occur when there’s minimal snow cover to insulate the soil from freezing deeply.
Frost quakes usually strike between midnight and dawn, when the cold is at its peak. While they rarely cause damage, residents may notice rattling windows or minor cracking in driveways and pavement.
Experts recommend improving drainage and keeping water away from home foundations before the next freeze to minimize risk.
So if you hear a sudden boom on a calm, icy night from Denver to Colorado Springs, it’s probably not thunder or blasting — it’s Colorado’s frozen ground cracking under winter’s pressure.
