After sunset, plummeting temperatures may quickly refreeze the water in the cells, splitting the bark and causing large wounds. During extended periods of intense cold, frost can penetrate into bark and deeper wood cells. Repeated freezing and thawing of the soil can cause heaving of soil and plant roots. This exposes roots to desiccation and freezing. Once the soil and roots are frozen, the roots can no longer take up more water for the rest of the plant.
Wind can cause several problems for plants.
It can damage young tissue due to its cooling and drying effects. In spring, as the days grow longer and the air begins to warm, plants are induced into higher rates of transpiration, increasing the rate of moisture loss. However, cool winds and deep mulch may keep the soil from thawing, and the still-frozen roots are unable to replace the moisture lost from the aboveground parts of the plant. The top or all of the shrub or tree may die back, and it may take most of the next growing season for the plant to recover from this windburn damage. Once the soil has frozen in early winter, mulch around the base of shrubs and trees with an organic material to a depth of 6 to 8 inches.