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Nashville’s ice storm is going viral with footage of trees cracking and collapsing under ice weight spreading rapidly across social platforms.
Country music star Jessie James Decker shared footage from her Nashville property that looks almost apocalyptic: dozens of trees cracking simultaneously and branches crashing to the ground — some of which are tangling in power lines.
“I’ve never seen anything like this. Trees just falling everywhere. You can just hear it — it’s just crack, crack crack,” she said in the video.
The audio alone tells the story. Throughout the footage, Decker can be heard saying, “Oh my God,” repeatedly as trees continue falling around her property.
“Trees are falling now on the neighbors’ cars,” she continued, documenting the cascading damage in real time.
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Her husband, former NFL wide receiver Eric Decker, appears in the footage with chainsaw in hand, cutting fallen branches into smaller pieces as they accumulate. The scene captures the immediate, hands-on response many Nashville residents have had to adopt as they navigate the aftermath.
Decker’s caption provided perspective on the storm’s severity.
“I’ve lived here since 2007, and I’ve never seen anything like this ( and this is just clips I took from our home, I know it’s even worse out there),” she wrote.
“To all the line workers and first responders thank you. We can’t even imagine what you’re going through or how tirelessly you’re working to help our community,” she added.
Jessie James Decker’s video sparks plenty of reactions
The comment section became a space for people to share their own experiences with ice storms and offer support.
One commenter from northern Minnesota noted they’d experienced temperatures of -40 or more with windchill, adding it was “scary to see it like that in the more southern states! Praying for everyone down that way!”
Other users offered context for those unfamiliar with ice storm behavior.
“This is common with ice storms. We get the in Oklahoma all the time. The weight of the ice accumulates and takes everything down with it. It’s beautiful and terrifying,” one person commented.
“It’s so scary! The sound is indescribable! We had this in central Texas in ‘23. Praying for our linemen!” another user wrote.
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The visceral nature of the experience came through in other comments.
“It’s absolutely insane here! When the trees fall it sounds like a bomb is going off,” one person wrote. Another shared their ongoing struggle: “It’s crazy. Going on 3 days with no power with a toddler. Praying for everyone out there!!!”
A self-described “Linewife” thanked Decker for acknowledging utility workers: “As a Linewife, thanks for recognizing the Lineman. They are always overlooked.”
Nashville’s ice storm has caused at least five deaths
The footage emerging from Nashville reflects a genuine emergency unfolding across the state.
The city experienced 1.92” of rainfall — some of which was freezing rain — on Jan. 24, which set a new record for the date, per WSMV. The average amount of ice buildup was between 1/4“ to 1/2“ in the area.
According to The Tennessean, the winter ice storm “has left more than 150,000 Tennesseans without power and caused at least five deaths,” as of Jan. 27.
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The power outage numbers peaked even higher earlier in the storm. As many as 200,000 residents were left without power on Jan. 26, per The Tennessean.
The combination of widespread power outages, blocked roads from fallen trees, and temperatures that make being without heat dangerous has created a multi-day crisis for many residents.
Why “exploding trees” is trending online
Decker’s video arrived as the term “exploding trees” gained viral traction, with people across the affected region sharing similar footage of trees appearing to burst apart spontaneously.
The phenomenon looks dramatic, but the science behind it is straightforward. In fact, the trees aren’t actually exploding in the combustion sense. Instead, the destruction comes from ice formation within the tree itself.
“That water expands as it freezes, and it can happen usually under very, very drastic drops in temperature,” said Doug Aubrey, a professor at the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, per CNN.
When sap and water inside a tree freeze rapidly, the expansion creates internal pressure. Combined with the external weight of ice accumulating on branches, trees can crack, split, or appear to shatter.
The sound — that distinctive crack, crack, crack Decker described — comes from this combination of internal pressure and structural failure under ice weight.
Nashville’s celebrity community responds to the storm
The storm’s impact has cut across Nashville’s population, with several well-known residents documenting their experiences and reaching out to neighbors.
Country music star Tim McGraw shared his perspective on the damage across the city.
“Woke up to the damage across Nashville this morning and my heart sank. So grateful our family is safe, but I know a lot of folks are hurting—homes damaged, power out, trees down. If you need help, ask. If you can help, go. That’s how Nashville works. We take care of our own,” he wrote on Instagram.
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Singer-songwriter Gillian Welch provided an update on day three of the crisis.
“Day 3 no power,” she wrote on Instagram. “Hopeful that we will get it back today. Hang in there everybody. Stay safe. Help your neighbors.”
Bachelor Nation alum Kaitlyn Bristowe offered a more vulnerable take on the experience in an Instagram Story.
“I think I have a neighbor coming to help me and I think I’m going to have to go to a hotel,” she said of not being able to open her garage door. “I’m having such pity party for one. I’m just cold and scared and I feel alone. And I’m going to be okay but I’m also thinking about how lucky I am for being able to get into a hotel. The world is a scary place.”
Actress Melissa Joan Hart provided perhaps the most detailed comparison to other severe weather events she’s experienced.
“In all my years of growing up in NY, tahoe for 20 years, Connecticut for 12 years including surviving Hurricane Sandy without power for 8 days with a newborn and two toddlers, I’ve never seen devastation and damage like this!” she wrote on Instagram.
Hart noted that expectations for the storm varied widely among residents.
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“We thought this would be minor and for some of our friends it was, but for us it’s gonna a week at least of no power and months of clean up. We are fine with a small generator and some working fireplaces but pray and/or send help for those who are without heat and power,” she added.
