I seem to remember having read of a tribe that referred to the January full moon as “Moon of Trees Popping.” I guess it goes back quite a ways. That is one of the scariest sounds I have ever heard. It is hard to tell just where it is coming from and is always followed by the boom of an entire tree or heavy branch hitting the ground.
Being on that spot of ground would not be a good thing.
Back when citrus was a large part of Florida’s economy, I sometimes saw orange trees with trunks shattered by a hard freeze. The sound of it happening was said to vary, from a rifle shot, to the snap of celery, or a door slamming.
Yep - experienced it in Rochester NY in late 60s or early 70s - 18 below temps ... also made car springs make cracking noises when I got into it. Some of the trees sounded like rifle shots when they popped.
In NJ large old trees line major highways with huge branches extending over the right lanes. The state rarelt trims them. Can just imagine these heavy branches falling on unsuspecting cars. Stay in the left lanes.